Once Upon a Virus (season 1)
by jdg9813
Summary: OUaT AU/Parody. In the lands beyond the Internet, an Evil Bureaucrat enacts a powerful Virus which sends everyone to the seemingly normal town of Storywik. Their usernames become real-world ones, and only the savior Joseph Kahn (son of the separated Rena Charming and Lady Junky) can set things right. Visit Once Upon a Virus Wiki for original postings; reviews would be appreciated.
1. Welcome to Storywik

**Welcome to Storywik**

 _Once upon a time… there was a website known as Wikia filled with a variety of citizens separated out into kingdoms known as Wikis. These Wikis were ruled by benevolent Bureaucrats who always had their subjects' best interests at heart… except for one. Wikia was once a site of richness and prosperity… but not anymore. Not since the Virus._

The wedding march begins playing as the large oak doors of a lavish church are swung open, and on the other side, a beautiful blonde woman in a gorgeous white dress standing beside her father, their arms linked, who's dressed formally for the occasion. The massive crowd stand and go silent, filled with admiration for their rulers. At the altar of the church, a similarly dressed yet smarmy-looking man awaits his blushing bride as she and her father slowly approach; the bride is shaky and nervous – she rather clearly doesn't want to be here. "Calm down, my dear, we're almost there. Just keep smiling," her father whispers, but Lady Junky finds this to be a difficult task. Eventually, she makes it to her husband-to-be, and her father, Reginafan2626, takes his place in the crowd. Villain fan pulls back Lady's veil to reveal a rather worried expression. The bishop at the top begins talking, as do the sysop couple, and the bride's father watches happily from his seat. Soon enough, the bishop reaches the point where he must ask, "If anyone can think of any reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace," and at this point, the church doors burst open as a handsome man on a white horse comes riding in. "I object!" Rena Charming yells, and the entire crowd is shocked beyond belief. "Rena!" Lady exclaims, recognizing her true love immediately, "I thought you had died!" She runs from the altar as Rena dismounts his horse, Rockaboss, and the two of them kiss passionately in each other's arms. At this point, Reginafan2626 stands up, facing his daughter and her true love with his face wrought with pure rage. "Lady Junky," he says, trying to remain calm, "Step away from him." "I will not," Lady states, "Father, I love him!" "I don't care!" Reginafan yells in such a way that all of his subjects cower with fright, "You will marry the man _I_ picked out for you! Surely you have no intention of spending the rest of your life with this blacksmith – he's a peasant!" Lady goes to speak, but Rena steps in front of her in a way that suggests "allow me". "The Evil Bureaucrat," he says, "I knew you'd provide obstacle. I warn you now not to stand in our way… or you'll regret it." The charming blacksmith pulls a sword from his holster, and by the way he carries himself, one can tell he knows exactly how to wield it. Reginafan simply laughs, and in a simple movement, his formal clothes are transformed into his regular ensemble – any traces of white are replaced with black, his large and overcompensating crown adorns his head and a long cloak of ravens' feathers hangs from his shoulders. But the most distinguishable feature of the Evil Bureau's look is the large scythe he carries in his right hand; polished to perfection and sharp enough to disembowel with a mere scratch. In his left, he summons a ball of fire. "Do your worst," Rena says, "You and I both know your magic has no effect on me." "Maybe so," Reginafan admits, extinguishing the flame, "But even you can't withstand being torn apart by metal." With that, the Evil Bureau charges at his daughter's love, scythe at the ready, and sparks fly as the blade clashes with Rena's own. "Father, no!" Lady exclaims, but Reginafan orders her to stay out of this. "My whole life, you've never given me any say," she begins, "But no more!" She grabs the scythe by the handle and snatches it away from her father, just as it looks like Rena's grip was about to be over-exerted. Lady approaches her father with the scythe in her hand, and he begs her to be careful. "No, father," Lady tells him, "You don't get to tell me what to do anymore." With that, she swings the scythe in his direction with the intention of killing him, but Reginafan2626 suddenly vanishes in a flurry of black smoke, causing the scythe to uselessly fall to the ground. The citizens continue witnessing this, as does Lady's fiancé at the altar, but she and Rena don't care. He takes her into his arms and the two of them mount Rockaboss together. "Sorry folks," says Rena, "Looks like the wedding's cancelled." "And as for the Bureaucrat…" Lady adds, "It appears this Wiki's about to get a new pair of monarchs." Everyone cheers to the end of Reginafan's reign, and the happy couple ride out of the church together.

The aisle transforms into a road and the white horse into a white car, which is driven by a young man who looks scarcely of age. He drives past a sign which reads _Welcome to Storywik_ , and he proceeds to drive into the little town in Maine. Everything appears humble and homely, and the driver smiles at his surroundings before eventually pulling up outside a bar called The Sword and Hammer. He steps out of his car and enters, approaching the bar as another young man wipes it down. "I'd like a drink please," says the driver as he sits at the bar; he is surprised to see a white dog go past, and the bartender – who bears a striking resemblance to Rena Charming – looks up at him and asks for ID. The man takes his drivers' license from his pocket and hands it to the bartender, and the bartender reads aloud, "Joseph Kahn," thus revealing the man's name, "You're lucky; turned 21 only yesterday. I just hit that milestone a week ago." He tells the man not to mind the dog, for that's just Rocky, and he puts the ID on the bar and asks what he'd like to drink, and Joseph orders a beer. "I'm Renato Smith," the bartender introduces himself; "My dad owns this place." He soon hands Joseph his drink, saying, "You can call me Rena," and as Joseph takes loose cash out of his pocket to pay, he nods and replies, "You can call me Joe." "So, um, you new around here? Only, I've never seen you before." "Um, yeah. Just rolled up today." "Really? Where you from?" Joe simply drinks his drink, and doesn't provide an answer. Rena nods, and continues wiping down the bar. A woman then sits beside Joe and immediately asks, "Who are you?" He looks the woman up and down and asks, "Who are _you_?" "Valentina Cunning," she says with a smile, "I'm personal assistant to the Mayor." "Oh? What does that entail?" Joe asks, feigning interest, and Valentina replies, "Oh, nothing thrilling. I get his coffee, schedule his meetings…" "Do his dirty work," Rena finishes for her, revealing a dislike for the woman. Valentina gives him a scowl before turning her attention back to Joe, "Anyway, he'll be _very_ happy to hear about you. We don't often get many visitors. May I ask what brings you here, Mr…?" "Kahn. Joseph," Joe tells her, "And no, you may not." "Right…" she says, looking suspicious of this stranger, "Well, like I said, I gotta go get his coffee. So… ciao." She dismounts the barstool and leaves the premises; Rena gives her a dirty look as she does so. "What's her deal?" Joe asks, to which Rena replies, "Oh, don't mind her, she's just… evil." "Right… so, Rena, what about you? You from here?" Joe asks. "Born and raised," Rena says, "Ask what you want." "Okay, um… do you maybe… have a girlfriend?" Joe wonders, but Rena tells him, "Alas, no. I'm not very lucky in love."

Rena Charming lies in bed with his wife, Lady Junky, as the two of them sleep in each others' arms. Suddenly, a flurry of black smoke takes form in their bedroom, and from this steps a scythe-less Reginafan2626, still in his kingly black attire. He looks at his daughter lying with a peasant, who is now the Bureaucrat of his Wiki, and takes a small dagger from his belt. He approaches Rena Charming and prepares himself to slit the usurper's throat, however, just as he is about to commit to the vile deed, he is tackled by someone wearing a knights' armor – Chat Moderator ImmaGleek. The sysop couple awaken, shocked beyond belief, and Lady exclaims, "Father! What are you doing!" Reginafan's hands are placed behind his back by Imma, Rena and Lady's personal bodyguard, and he says, "I'm here to take back the biggest mistake of your life." "The biggest mistake of my life was not swinging that scythe faster," she says; "Imma, take him to the dungeons; the cells should bind his magic. But call in every Chat Moderator in this castle – we can't let him escape." Reginafan gives his daughter a poisonous look, and she returns it. The shot remains on her face as her father is dragged from her bedroom.

We are again shown Lady's face, but this time, in Storywik as she sits outside a café waiting for someone. Joe sees her as he steps out of The Sword and Hammer, which is across the street, and back into his car, but before he can drive away, Renato comes rushing out in order to give Joe his ID, which he accidentally left behind. "Thanks," Joe says, but his face is suddenly contorted in shock when Rena rather broadly ducks behind the car. "What are you doing?" Joe wonders. "You see that pretty blonde across the street?" Rena asks, and Joe nods, allowing the bartender to nervously continue, "I have the biggest crush on her." "So why don't you go up and talk to her?" Joe wonders, to which Rena replies, "Are you kidding? That's Justine King – the Mayor's daughter. She'd never go for me, I'm a bartender… Besides, she's engaged to someone else." "Who?" asks Joe, and Rena says, "Him." Joe turns to see a man – Villain fan – approach the beautiful blonde and sit opposite her. "Benjamin Leech," Rena explains, and Joe comments that he looks like a dick. "Oh, he is," Rena confirms, "But he's who her father wanted her to marry, so…" "An arranged marriage? Isn't that a little old-timey?" "Yeah, sometimes living in this town is like living in the Middle Ages." Suddenly, Joe spots something in his windshield wipers – a parking ticket. "What the hell; I'm not parked illegally," he proclaims, exiting his car to grab the ticket. "Actually…" says Rena, gesturing the driveway beside the bar, which Joe is currently blocking in. "Damn it," Joe says, "How am I gonna pay this off?" "Well, the Sheriff's Station is just down the street, to the left. You can pay your fine to the Sheriff there. She's usually really lenient on stuff like this." "She?" Joe questions, to which Rena simply nods. "Well, alright," says the newcomer, proceeding to get back into his car and drive away, leaving Rena to run back into the bar as Justine continues eating lunch with her fiancé.

In the local Sheriff's Station, the inside of which is rather drab and colorless, the local Sheriff – ImmaGleek – is sitting at her desk and going through paperwork as Joe is seen entering. "Ah, you must be the owner of the car I ticketed earlier; are you here to pay the fine?" she asks, to which he answers positively. "Take a seat," she insists, and Joe reluctantly sits opposite her. "I'm Sheriff Elizabeth Knight," she introduces herself, "And you might be?" "Joseph Kahn," he says, "Can you just tell me the amount I gotta pay?" "Of course," she says, proceeding to tell him, and he takes more loose cash from his pockets in order to pay it. "That certainly is a lot of money to just be carrying around," she comments as she takes it, but he simply says he doesn't like writing checks. "Aren't you a little young to have this much money?" "I'm old enough," he assures her, and her eyebrow raises. "So, is that it? Hardly anything for me to sit down for…" he points out. "That is true; I admire your inquisitiveness. The reason I asked you to sit down is because the Mayor has summoned you and I thought I'd have to give you directions to his house, however, since you clearly don't know how to park, maybe it'd be better if I drove you." "Why the hell has the Mayor 'summoned' me?" Joe asks. "Have you met Valentina Cunning?" Liz asks in turn; Joe nods, and she adds, "That'd be why. Anyway, shall we get going?" She gets up from her seat and begins exiting the Sheriff's Station…

…And ImmaGleek rushes into the throne room. "Your majesties! Your majesties!" she is heard exclaiming, and Rena Charming and Lady Junky – the latter of which is now obviously pregnant – ask their Chat Moderator what the matter is. "It's Reginafan2626!" she yells, "He's escaped!" The Bureaucrats appear shocked, and Rena Charming asks, "Where on Wikia could he be?" Suddenly, Lady points and everyone becomes aware of blood dripping down the far wall. They stare in amazement and confusion as it trails along the floor, and soon enough, it rises up and forms a person. A woman. Her hair is red, as are her clothes – she wears a flowing skirt with slits up the legs, sandals and a short top, all adorned with gold and jewels, complete with a cloak that attaches at the shoulders and the wrists and a veil that covers the lower half of her face. "I believe I have the answers," she says in response to Rena's earlier question. "DeviousPeep," Rena Charming realizes, and ImmaGleek immediately draws her sword, aiming it at the Blood Wiccan's throat. "The leader of the Wiki Witches of the West?" Lady asks, recognizing the name, "What is she doing here?" "I told you," says Peep, "I'm here to provide answers. I can tell you why Reginafan2626 escaped and what he's up to… providing you tell your attack dog here to stand down." Lady considers the witch before gesturing to ImmaGleek, causing the Chat Mod to sheath her sword. "What is my father planning?" she asks, and DeviousPeep explains, "The Evil Bureaucrat plans on enacting a powerful Virus – one strong enough to upload us all to a new land, ripping us from this site and devastating our homes." "What…? What does he stand to gain from this?" Rena wonders, and Peep says she's getting to that; "This Virus has the ability to wipe our heads and replace our memories with fake ones. Reginafan2626 will preside over the entirety of Wikia, Bureaucrat Lady Junky here will presumably be made to marry Administrator Villain fan of Lostpedia – as her father originally intended – and he will surely take this opportunity to murder your as-of-yet unborn child. Unless… you allow me to protect it?" "You can stop the Virus?" Rena asks, but Peep denies this, saying that the Virus is inevitable; " _But_ , we do have time before it's enacted – time for your baby to be born. I could prevent it from being taken – stop it from being killed." "I'm not sure we sh—" Rena tries, but Lady immediately says, "Deal. What do you need?" "In order to cast the spell that will save him?" says Peep, "I will need a hair from each of your heads." "Okay," Lady agrees, "Take what you need." "Your majesty…" ImmaGleek warns as DeviousPeep approaches, walking with an eerie grace, but Lady again gestures for the Chat Mod to stand down. Peep plucks a hair from Lady's head, but when she goes to take one of Rena's, he moves away. "Are we sure about this?" he asks, "Why is she even offering?" "It's no secret that Reginafan and I are… adversaries. I will take much joy in seeing his plan fail," she explains with a smile. "That's it? That's _all_ you get out of this?" She smiles more widely and nods, proceeding to pluck two hairs from his head before he can protest. "It was a pleasure doing business with you," DeviousPeep assures them before melting into a puddle of blood and streaming out of the room. Once she's gone, Rena looks uneasy. "We shouldn't have agreed to that. Who knows what she'll do with—" "Rena," Lady says in an attempt to calm her husband, "This is all to protect our son… all for Jdg98." She rubs her pregnant belly.

We close up on Joe as he sits in the passenger seat of the Sheriff's car. "Jdg98," Liz says and Joe turns to her, confused. "What did you say?" "Jdg98," she repeats herself, "It's written on that piece of paper that just fell out of your pocket." Joe looks down and sees that this is true, taking the piece of paper and stuffing it back in. "I notice things like that; so, what's it mean?" "It's my new email address," Joe explains, "Jdg98's my password. Of course, I may be changing it now…" "What's it mean?" Liz wonders, "If your surname is 'Kahn', J.D.G. can't be your initials, and you're too old to have been born in '98." Joe shrugs, "It's just something I've been using since I was a kid. Don't know where I got it from." "So, why do you have a new email address?" she wonders further, and Joe explains that the Internet never seems to agree with him; "I can make a new account on some website one day, and by the next, it will have disappeared. It's weird." "Huh," says Liz, "Well, we're here." The car pulls up outside the Mayor's lavish office building and Joe steps out just as Valentina is exiting. She looks at Joe, standing beside the Sheriff's car, and comments, "Arrested on your first day? Tut, tut…" She walks away with a smile on her face.

Valentina Cunning approaches Reginafan2626 in a clearing in the forest as he sits beside a bonfire; she carries a sack. Reginafan looks towards her and says, "Remove your disguise, DisneyMeerkats. It's only me here." DisneyMeerkats nods and clicks her fingers, and suddenly, she takes the form of a grotesque troll. "Do you have all of the ingredients?" Reginafan asks, and Disney nods. "And do you have _it_?" the Evil Bureau adds. Disney nods again, this time with a smile, and takes Reginafan's scythe from its sack, revealing said sack to be bigger on the inside than it is on its petite outside. Reginafan takes his scythe and stands up, happy to be reunited with his favourite weapon. "At last," he says, "My arm is complete again." "Are we to get started on the Virus, master?" Disney asks, but Reginafan tells it no, saying there's something he must do before committing to such an evil deed – "I need to talk to my daughter."

In the Mayor's office, Justine King is seen talking to her father, Joshua King – the Mayor of Storywik, Maine and counterpart to Reginafan2626. "Ben was completely rude at lunch today, I can't marry a man like that," Justine insists. "Of course you can," Josh assures her, "In fact, I was thinking of moving the wedding up to next month." "Dad, can't you hear me? I _don't want to get married_!" "All I'm hearing is pre-wedding jitters. And they're perfectly natural. But once you're married and you settle into life, those jitters will all melt away." "Not If I'm married to the jerk I'm engaged to," Justine insists, but Josh insists in turn, "But you _are_ going to marry him. And soon. After all, it feels as though you've been engaged for years." He smiles and sends his daughter on her way, and as she leaves the office, she runs into Joe. "Hi," she says, smiling and shaking his hand, and he greets her in turn, having just heard the conversation. She promptly leaves and Joe steps into the Mayor's office, where the Mayor introduces himself as Joshua King and urges Joe to take a seat. He too sits behind his desk and Joe asks Josh why he was called into his office. "Why are you here, Mr. Kahn?" Josh asks. "You, um, summoned me…" Joe replies. "No, no. Why are you here in Storywik?" Josh explains, and Joe tells him he closed his eyes, circled a random place on a map, and that's where he decided he would pack up and leave to. "You… you saw Storywik on a _map_?" "Yes…" Joe replies, "What else would you like to know?" "Nothing else," Josh says, "You may go." "Um, alright…" Joe looks rather confused, but proceeds to leave anyway, not knowing why he was summoned to such a pointless meeting. When Joe is gone, an incredibly irked Josh takes a map of Maine from his desk drawer and begins unfolding it. He makes sure that the area where Storywik _should_ be isn't there – for it shouldn't be on any map – and then he looks to where Joe was sitting. The Mayor appears rather perturbed.

As does Reginafan2626 as he approaches his heavily pregnant daughter in the palace gardens. Lady Junky looks shocked to see her father, and asks how he got in. He explains an old friend of his did that for him – referring to the master of disguise that is DisneyMeerkats – before saying that he needs to talk to her. "It's true, isn't it? You _are_ planning to enact a Virus that will wreak havoc on all of Wikia…" "Yes, I am," Reginafan confesses, "But… I'm beginning to rethink my intentions." "I should alert the Chat Moderators of your presence," says Lady. "Sweetheart, please, I need to talk to you!" "What about?! Do you need my blessing to have your revenge?! You're a sick and evil man and I am ashamed to call you my father!" "Lady, I'm not going to enact the Virus!" Reginafan yells, and Lady asks what kind of trick this is. "That is, if you agree to divorce Rena Charming, let me take my kingdom back—" "I will not!" "—and abort your child." "So help me God, if you don't leave now I will kill you myself. ImmaGleek! ImmaGleek!" she yells, and her father quickly says, "When the baby is born, I'll know you have no interest in adhering to my will. And the Virus will be enacted." He then vanishes in a column of smoke. Lady drops to her knees, cradling her stomach, and tears well up in her eyes.

Justine is seen crying in her lush Storywik apartment, but when her fiancé Benjamin Leech arrives him, she quickly grabs a tissue from the box on the coffee table and wipes away her tears so that he doesn't begin to realize how unhappy he is. "Honey, I'm home," he says, and she asks him how his day has been since they had lunch. "Great," he says, but before he can say any more, his cell phone begins ringing and he says he has to take it, heading into the kitchen. "Ben," says Josh, who's on the other line, "You know how you're always looking to prove yourself to me as the perfect son-in-law? Well, I've got a job for you. You're probably going to need wire cutters…" In the living room, Justine watches as Ben leaves the apartment with a tool box. She doesn't ask any questions; merely anticipates him leaving. And she begins to cry again.

Tears stream from Lady Junky's eyes as she gives birth to her son, screaming in pain. She screams and screams and screams in agony as Rena Charming holds her hand, but a baby's crying is soon heard as ImmaGleek successfully births the child. She hands the baby boy over to the mother, who wipes him off, and the Chat Moderator proceeds to leave the room. Lady Junky looks lovingly at her newborn son – uttering his name, Jdg98 – but asks where Imma is going. "To alert the bell ringers of our baby's birth, I presume." "No, no!" Lady exclaims, "If my father knows that Jdg has been born then he'll enact his Dark Virus!" Rena assures her that everything is going to be alright, reminding her of their safety precautions, but Lady still appears worried when bells begin tolling, emanating gloriously from the castle. The shot closes in on her baby's face as it cries at the noise.

Joe is seen approaching the drab Sheriff's Station with a bouquet of flowers; he walks in, just as Ben – carrying his toolbox – runs out from behind the stranger's car and vacates the area, having tampered with something. Liz is seen sitting inside her office as Joe walks in, and she wonders what the flowers are for. He explains that he saw how miserable and colorless this place looked earlier to he stopped by a florist on his way back from the Mayor's office to get her a little something. She smiles and accepts the flowers – roses – and sniffs them, saying they're her favorite, and Joe seems gladdened by this. She asks where he'll be going now, wondering if he'll be staying in town, but he says Storywik's proven itself to be a bit too much hassle for him, so he thinks he'll be moving on. She nods, understanding, and Joe leaves her as she continues to smell the roses. He approaches his car and gets in, starting up the engine and driving away. He makes his way through the town and begins to speed up as he approaches the exit sign. However, he realizes soon that his breaks don't work. In his attempts to stop the now-very-fast-car, he swerves and crashes into said exit sign. His unconscious head rests against the airbag and smoke rises from the bonnet.

Similar to the smoke that is now consuming all of Wikia – the Virus; it's been enacted. Rena Charming sees this from the palace window and alerts Lady Junky, who looks fearfully down at her newborn son. Suddenly, blood begins dripping down the walls and it's not long before the shape of DeviousPeep forms in front of them. "You sure do like to cut it close," she says, "I'll just be taking that." She gestures the child, but Lady holds it close to herself, having changed her mind the moment she saw her child's face and fell in love. "No," she says, "It's staying with me. With its mother. It's safe with us." Peep smiles. "No," she says, "It's not." She snaps her fingers and the baby floats out of Lady's arms and into the witch's. "As I said before, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." With that, she takes a small vial from her belt and throws it on the ground, causing herself and her baby to be consumed by green smoke. When the smoke clears, they are gone, and the sysop couple are quite distraught to see their child go.  
In what looks like a laboratory in a place where the walls are made of stone, green smoke suddenly appears and DeviousPeep steps out of it. She turns to a group of women dressed the same way she is, and she says, "Right, girls, we don't have a lot of time… let's get to work."  
We are shown the witches as they make symbols and sigils in blood and write them all over the baby and its surroundings. We see Peep casting a personal spell with her hands on the baby's head, and Jdg98 is then placed within a circle drawn on the floor, containing a variety of ingredients. Peep reads very specifically from a spell book and, soon enough, the baby vanishes. The witches smile at a job well done and rejoice in prayer as the Virus consumes them.  
In Our World, we see that the baby has appeared alone on the side of street. Jdg98 cries out for his parents.

Joe wakes up in a bed in Storywik General Hospital where DeviousPeep is watching over him. Her hair is still red, but she no longer looks like an evil belly dancer. She is dressed in a nurse's uniform, and in the background, we see various nurses – all of which were seen to be part of Peep's coven in flashback. "You're lucky, Mr. Kahn. You were pulled from a car accident with scarcely a scratch. I'll be back soon to check on you." Joe nods and looks to the bed next to him – the only other bed in the room – in which a beautiful girl lays comatose. "Who is she?" Joe wonders, and Head Nurse Joanna Seer (as her nametag tells us) explains: "That's Natalia Grant. She's been in a coma since… well, a very long time. We normally wouldn't have put you in the same room as her but, well, we're running short of beds. You understand. Anyway, you just get some rest and I'll return shortly." Nurse Seer leaves and Joe gets up out of bed. He approaches Natalia, feeling strangely drawn to her, and pulls up a chair so that he may sit down at her bedside. He watches her lifeless face, soothed by the gentle beeps of the heart monitor.

Mayor Joshua King is seen going down into his basement with a set of skeleton keys; one of them unlocks his locked closet, inside which is his scythe. He stares at it admirably.  
Justine lies in bed beside her fiancé; he is asleep whereas she is unable to catch forty winks in the same bed as a man she doesn't love.  
Renato Smith is seen wiping down the bar in The Sword and Hammer. He looks at the photos of the town on the wall and sees one of Justine at a ribbon cutting. He looks at her with love in his eyes.  
In her home, Valentina Cunning is seen at her laptop typing Joseph Kahn's name into a search engine.  
At the Sheriff's Station, Elizabeth Knight is down for the day and goes to remove her helmet… only to realize she's not wearing one. She shakes off this instinctive moment of weirdness and leaves.  
In the hospital's blood banks, Joanna Seer is seen cutting open a blood bag and using the contents to draw a magic symbol on a hand mirror. She sets it down and begins some sort of prayer ritual.  
Joe continues sitting at Natalia's bedside and places his hand on hers… suddenly, she grabs his wrist as her eyes shoot open. Joe is shocked and Natalia sits up, putting her finger to her lips and shushing him loudly. Joe remains in a stunned silence as the now-conscious coma patient unplugs her own machines in order to dull the noise. She then looks into Joe's eyes and says, "Jdg98, my name is MaryPierceLopez. I need to tell you about the Virus…" Joe doesn't know how to react.


	2. A Means to an End

**A Means to an End**

"Wh… what?" Joe asks, "Shouldn't I call a doctor or something?" "No, just be quiet," Natalia tells him, "There's something I need to explain to you." "Jdg98, that's what you said. You called me Jdg98. How did you…?" "That's your true name," Natalia assures him, but Joe wonders how the hell she knows who he is. "Will you _please_ just let me talk?" she begs, "Before you call the nurse, just give me a chance to explain everything." "O… okay," Joe eventually agrees, and Natalia takes a deep breath before beginning: "There are a group of lands known as websites located through what this realm calls 'the Internet', I'm from one such website called Wikia." "What are you—" "Shush!" she exclaims, continuing with her explanation, "Anyway, 21 years ago, the Evil Bureaucrat – which I guess you would call a King – enacted a powerful Virus that uploaded everyone in Wikia to this place. This town; Storywik, Maine." Joe just continues staring in confusion; Natalia continues, "Nobody here is who they think they are. Their real names are streams of random words and numbers, but after the Virus, they all think they're citizens of this town. They don't remember their old life." "This is ridiculous," Joe finally says, "You said this happened 21 years ago, how haven't they—" "They don't age. Time here is frozen. Well, hopefully not now that you're here…" "Me? What on Earth to _I_ have to do with this?" Joe asks. "Well, you're the Antivirus," Natalia tells him. "What now?" She rolls her eyes, and goes into yet another explanation, "You are descended from two heavily magical bloodlines. That of Rena Charming and that of Lady Junky. You were born in Wikia as well but you were transported here as a baby. That's why you're an orphan. That's why you were found where you were." "How do you kn—" "Years ago Rena Charming and Lady Junky's ancestors were at war with one another but eventually made it so their magic couldn't harm one another when they reconciled. Anyway, that's a tad irrelevant. The point is, with both of their ancestors' DNA running through you, you should realistically be ultimately powerful. Hence, you are the Antivirus." "Um, did you really just use the word 'realistically'?" "Hush!" she yells, "Let me finish." "Oh, that's not all?" "The Virus has an expiration – one which Reginafan2626 had no idea about." "Who?" Joe wonders, and Natalia explains that he's the Evil Bureaucrat – "But the point is, after 21 years, the Virus will… deteriorate. Everything it's caused will be undone, including this town. Everyone in it will die. That's why they need _you_. You have to deactivate the Virus before it has a chance to expire." "But you said it's _been_ 21 years already. Shouldn't we all have… deteriorated by now?" Joe asks, not believing the ridiculousness of his own words, but Natalia adds, "There's a leniency of about 3 months." "So you're saying that, in 3 months, everyone in this town will die?" "Exactly," Natalia says. "You're crazy." "I'm not! I promise, you just have to give me a chance. I swear, I'm telling the truth. You have to help me. You have to save eve—" "Nurse!" Joe calls, "Nurse!" Soon, Joanna Seer comes running in. "What is it?" she calls, and Joe points out that Natalia is awake. "My name isn't Natalia; it's MaryPierceLopez!" she insists, but Joanna remains in a state of shock. She quickly turns to Joe and tells him that she looked over his chart and he's in "tip-top" shape, so he's free to go. Joe nods to Natalia and leaves the hospital, despite her cries of protest. "Shhh, dear. You must be so traumatized. But we're gonna take excellent care of you. Now, we may need to run a few tests, but I'm sure you'll be fine through all of them. Oh, and we may need to take a blood sample."

Blood is seen pouring down the walls of Rena and Lady's castle's dungeon; soon enough, it takes the form of DeviousPeep, who stands across from Reginafan2626 as he remains locked in a cell. "Be still my beating heart," she says once she's solid, startling the Evil Bureau into realizing she's there. "Reginafan2626, as I live and breathe," she adds with sarcasm biting her voice. "What are you doing here, Peep?" he asks, rather bored, to which she says, "It's almost as though you're not excited to see me, and I know that can't be true, so why so glum, chum?" "It may have escaped your notice," he says, "But I'm locked up in my own damn palace!" "Oh… _that_. What if I told you there was a way you could _not_ be locked up in your own – damn – palace?" "What are you talking about?" he wonders, to which the witch explains, "I need you to do something for me, and in exchange I would be obliged you let you out of this rather drab little cell." "And what exactly is it you want me to do for you?" he wonders. "What if I told you there was a way for you to get everything you ever wanted: your daughter's affection… for her to marry the man _you_ wanted her to marry… to kill that little life form that's currently squirming around in her belly… and to preside over everyone in this website for eternity, destroying the happy endings of the people that hated and imprisoned you." "Again – what _are_ you talking about?" Reginafan asks, and Peep tells him, "You know about Viruses, I presume? Well, there is one more powerful than all the others. One capable of uploading everyone in Wikia to a whole new land. Their memories will be wiped and replaced with new ones of your choosing – providing you agree to be the one to enact it – and you will once again rule over them in timeless infinity. So tell me, _do_ you agree to be the one to enact it?" Reginafan considers Peep. "What do _you_ get out of this?" The witch smiles and says, "My agendas shall remain my own – the point is, doing this will benefit _you_. Unless of course you don't _want_ what this Virus offers you and would prefer to spend the rest of your days rotting in a dungeon?" Reginafan contemplates the offer for a while and says, "Okay. Free me." "My pleasure," Peep says with a smile; she runs her hand across the lock of the cell door and it opens with a simple _click_. Reginafan2626 steps out, is magic returning instantly, and he makes a ball of fire in his hand, gleeful at the sensation. "Alright," he says, "Give me this Virus." Peep laughs, and tells him, "Oh, I don't have it. The memory stick which contains it is locked away. You must retrieve it if you want to use it." "You didn't mention that was part of the deal." "Didn't I? Oops," she says, her smiling widening even more. Reginafan sighs, " _Where_ is it locked away?" Peep's smile grows to full capacity as she reveals, "In the Community Wiki, of course. Protected by Staff." The shot closes up on Reginafan's face as his shock contorts it.

We pan from Josh's face as he approaches the door of his house, answering it to Valentina Cunning. "Did you find anything?" he asks without greeting her, and she walks in with her laptop in her arm, setting it down on the nearest table. "Not much," she says as she opens it up, sifting through some files. "When I search the Internet for this man, nothing seems to show up. It's as though it's hiding him." "So, what _did_ you find?" Josh wonders, and she explains she managed to find a bit of a paper trail by going through the phone books and other records and discovered a pair of Kahns adopted a boy from an orphanage in Boston, so she called the orphanage and they said they'd housed a few Josephs in the past – one of which would be around his age by now. "That's it? All we know about him is that he was adopted?" "Well, I asked about the Joseph we're looking for and apparently he was found at a roadside when he was a baby. But that's all I was able to find out," Valentina explains. " _When_ was he found?" Josh asks, and Valentina says the orphanage told her it was in 1993 – but she couldn't find it in any newspaper records online. "1993…" Josh utters, "21 years ago…" "Yeah," says Valentina, "Seems he's 21." Josh then spots something on the laptop screen and Valentina wonders what it is. "The time… in the corner of your screen," he says. "What about it?" "It's… moved…" he adds. "Yes…" Valentina confirms, "That's what time does, it moves forward." "Not in this town," the Mayor whispers to himself, and Val continues in saying she barely ever pays it any attention. "Leave," Josh commands. "What?" "Leave. Now. I have no further need for you today." Confused, Valentina shuts her laptop and gets to her feet, heading to the door.

Reginafan is seen approaching a bridge in the Once Upon a Time Wiki. "DisneyMeerkats," he says, "I need you." The grotesque troll that is DisneyMeerkats then comes scuttling out from under the bridge and hunches at its masters side. "Master, you're free! What is it you'll be needing?" "I need to break into Wikia Capital in order to steal something from Staff. Can you disguise me?" he asks. "My disguises only work on myself," Disney says, clicking its fingers and turning into some blonde, before clicking its fingers again and transforming back into a troll, "Besides, even I can't get into the Community Wiki undetected; Staff's defences are much too powerful." "Damn!" Reginafan rages, "How am I going to get in?" "I'll tell you how," says DisneyMeerkats, "You need Dr. Sonya." The Evil Bureau raises an eyebrow.

"Hello, Dr. Sonya," Josh says as he sits down to breakfast at the local café. Dr. Brad Sonya, who's just leaving, greets Josh in turn, and goes on to ask if he can expect to see him at his appointment later. Josh replies positively, and the therapist adds, "I'll see you then," before leaving. Justine soon arrives to eat breakfast with her father but she is disappointed when he pulls out a large trapper keeper. "What is that?" she asks, to which Josh happily replies, "I thought we could do a bit of planning for the wedding whilst we have breakfast." "Yay," Justine sighs.

In hospital, we see Liz entering Natalia's room. "Hello, Natalia, I'm Sheriff Elizabeth Knight, I'm here to ask you a few questions about the accident that put you here." "The accident that put me here didn't even happen in this realm!" Natalia exclaims, "And my name isn't Natalia, it's Mary." Liz sits down on the chair beside her bed and says, "Now, I know this must be a confusing time for you…" "Actually, I've never been less confused," Natalia assures her, "I'm thinking very clearly. I know, for instance, that if I don't get out of this godforsaken hellhole, you and everyone you know will die." "Right… are you sure this isn't just the trauma speaking? I read your chart and there were suggestions of foul play—" "Law doesn't matter," Natalia states, "All that matters is that I get the Antivirus to access his full potential and end this hazy maze we're all stuck in." Liz stares at the girl, thinking she's seriously confused, and says, "I'm just gonna put down that you weren't up for questioning."

Renato is sweeping outside The Sword and Hammer when he spots Lady leaving breakfast with her father. He looks at her with a longing look in his eye, but he becomes freaked out when he hears a noise from the car parked outside the bar – Joe's car. He peers in the window and sees Joe sleeping inside. He taps on said window, waking Joe up. Joe looks extremely tired and annoyed, but rolls down the window nonetheless. "Hey," he says. "Um, what're you doing?" Rena asks, at which Joe points out he doesn't exactly have a place to stay. "What's going on here?" Justine asks as she walks past with her father. Rena's eyes widen and he stealthily retreats inside, whilst Joe unrolls his other window and greets the Mayor and his daughter. "Are you, um, homeless?" she asks. "You could say that," Joe replies. "Wait a minute, I saw you entering my father's office yesterday. You're a friend of his?" "No, he's not," Josh quickly says, "Why exactly are you still here? All you seem to have is a car, the logical thing to do would be to drive away." "My car was barely driveable after the accident I had, the most I could do was get it to here. It's not up for a whole journey and I can't really afford this town's mechanic fees." "Well, daddy will pay to have your car fixed, won't you daddy?" Justine asks. "Well, I don't think—" " _Won't you, daddy?_ " "Yes, darling, of course I will…" Josh concedes grudgingly. "Why, thank you, Mr. Mayor," Joe says in gratitude, and Justine adds, "There's a B&B a couple blocks away, I could phone them up if you like and ask them to give you a few nights for free. They'd do anything for their little Mayoress." "That's… amazing. I don't know how to thank you," Joe says. "How about with a check?" Josh suggests, receiving a scowl from his daughter. She then looks back at Joe and says it's weird – she saw him and she suddenly felt the need to take care of him; "Anyway, I guess I'll see you around." She then begins walking away with her father, and asks him, "Are you going to be heading to your session with Dr. Sonya now?" "No," Josh replies, "That's not until this afternoon."

Reginafan2626 is seen meeting Dr. Sonya in flashback. Dr. Sonya has light purveying from his hands and runs this light up and down the Evil Bureau; DisneyMeerkats watches from by the message wall of Sonya's template. "And this process? It will make me undetectable in the Community Wiki?" "Yes," says Dr. Sonya, continuing to magic Reginafan, "Any security protocols they have in place will be fooled into thinking you're a member of Staff." "Amazing," Reginafan comments. "Told you," says Disney, "He's the best of the best." "So, why do you do this?" the Evil Bureau wonders, and Dr. Sonya explains, "I used to be a Staff member myself. Until one day, they decided they needed to cut numbers. Out of the blue I was stripped of my powers and sent back to live amongst the rest of us users. However, where I may have lost my wings, I _did_ manage to retain some of my magic. And I've been growing it for years. Now, I do what I can to make sure those smug sons of bitches pay for what they did to me. They will be annoyed by what you do, won't they?" "Oh, Dr. Sonya, they're going to be more than annoyed… they're going to be devastated," Reginafan assures him; Dr. Sonya smiles. The light soon stops purveying from his hands and he announces that the process is complete. "Excellent," Reginafan says, standing up, "Let's go get that Virus." "You're on you're way to get everything you ever wanted," Disney comments, but Reginafan says that's not true, for the Virus was only a means to an end – "Alas, I'm unable to steal Lady Junky in quite the same way."

Justine is seen being walked by Josh back to her apartment. "Sweetheart, I don't want you talking to that man anymore." "What, the man in the car? Why not?" she wonders. "I just… don't like him," he admits. "You want him to leave town, don't you?" Justine realizes, and Josh nods, saying, "And that's why I _will_ be paying his mechanic bills. But I don't want you doing him any favors. You can forget about the B &B – I don't want his stay here to be made any easier. You got that?" "Whatever, daddy," Justine says, rolling her eyes and entering her apartment, shutting the door on her father. "Hey honey," Ben says from the sofa. "Yeah, hey," Justine replies, uninterested, and makes her way into their bedroom. She takes out her cell phone and dials a number. "Hey, Keegan?" she says to the person on the other end, "Would it be alright If a friend of mine stayed for free for a little while?"

Josh is sitting in his office looking out the window when he spots Joe heading towards the B&B. He seethes with rage and grabs the phone from his desk. "Hello, Ms. Glitter, just a quick question: has Justine called you today?... She has, huh?... Well, thank you for your time," he hangs up the phone but suddenly bats it off the desk in anger. In a fit of passion he then wipes his whole desk clean, computer and all, and clenches his fists in rage. Suddenly, the entire desk sets on fire. Josh is stunned, and watches it burn for a while. He then flays his hands and the flames simply stop. He looks back down at his hand and conjures up a fireball. He then extinguishes it. And light another. And extinguishes that too. "I have my magic back…" he says to himself with pure joy on his face. He then waves a hand and the door to his office closes.

Reginafan2626 waves his hands the double doors to the vast Community Wiki palace swing wide open; he enters. "Great," he says to himself, "Now I just have to hope Peep's instructions were correct."  
Soon enough, Reginafan is seen entering a secret-looking room filled with artefacts. At the center of which is a USB on a raised platform. "The Virus," Reginafan realizes. He raises a hand and the memory stick flies into it. He looks at it with a grand and victorious smile on his face. "These doors aren't meant to be open," someone is heard saying, and Reginafan turns his head to see a brightly-dressed girl enter the room – MaryPierceLopez. She looks at him with a stunned expression and quickly hits the red button beside the entrance. A piercing alarm is raised.

Natalia is seen in hospital, using the phone at the nursing station desk. As she does so, Joanna is seen heading to a secluded area of the hospital and looks down in her hand. A ball of magical, crackling energy is seen appearing, and she smiles.  
Joe is checking in at the local B&B, run by a poor couple. The lady, Keegan, asks how long he's going to be staying, to which he replies, "Just a few days." The man, Rappy, asks if Joe would like a forest view or a street view, but he says he doesn't mind, being handed a key soon enough. When he's walking away from the front desk, his cell phone is heard ringing in his pocket; he answers it. "Hello?" "Hi, Joe," says Natalia from the hospital. Joe is freaked out and asks the patient how she knows his number. "I know a lot of things about you, Joe. I know your phone number, I know you're real name is Jdg98 and I know that if you don't step up to your duties, _everyone_ in this town is gonna die." "Yeah, how 'bout you go know those things by yourself and call me back when you're less crazy? Okay? See ya'." "No, Joe! Joe! Jdg—" He hangs up, and in hospital, Natalia throws the phone across the desk in anger.

MaryPierceLopez throws some magic dust from her pocket at Reginafan2626, but he simply subdues it with magic of his own before waving a hand and making it so she's slammed against the wall, causing her to pass out. The alarms continue sounding, and Reginafan exits the room with the Virus still in tow, leaving Mary unconscious behind him. He walks through the extravagant palace that centers the Community Wiki. He soon makes it towards the open doors, only to have them swing shut in front of him. "Stop!" yells a Staff member from behind him, and Reginafan turns to see a female fairy in pink beside a male fairy in blue. A fairy in red hovers slightly behind. The two in front are Keegan and Rappy. "Sannse," he greets, "Rappy 4187." "Reginafan2626," Sannse recognizes. "The Evil Bureau," Rappy adds. Sannse asks how he got in, and Reginafan replies that they shouldn't have let Dr. Sonya leave the way they did. "Lucky for you, you _won't_ be leaving," Sannse assures him. Suddenly, a team of Staff members appear with their wings and colours and throw piles of magic dust at Reginafan, but he simply raises a shield of magic and deflects it all back at them. When a fireball skims his ear, he splays his hand in a certain way and the red Staff Member slowly turns to dust. "Lucky for me, I think I will be leaving." "Only Staff members can teleport from this place," Rappy says, to which Reginafan replies, "Then I hope Dr. Sonya did his job well." Just as thousands of attacks are launched at him, Reginafan2626 disappears in a flurry of black smoke.

Josh appears in a flurry of black smoke outside Dr. Sonya's office, out of sight, happy to have his magic back. He knocks on the door, and Brad answers, beckoning the Mayor inside.  
"Doctor," he says once he's inside and on the couch, "There's a problem that's appeared in my life all of a sudden, and I wondered what you thought the best course of action would be." "I'm sorry," Brad says, "I'm afraid I don't know exactly what you mean." "Well… do you think I should wait for the problem to subside naturally, or should I tackle it head on and _make sure_ it goes away." "Mayor King, I'm afraid I can't offer my professional opinion unless I know some more details," says the therapist, but Josh is hesitant, saying that he can't really provide any. "Well…" Dr. Sonya says, pondering the situation, "Most psychologists would agree that it _is_ healthier to deal with a problem yourself as oppose to ignoring it altogether… so I guess that's what my advice to you is. To tackle it head on so that it goes away." Josh smiles evilly and says, "Doctor… I was thinking exactly the same thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a problem to go and deal with."

"This Virus should end _all_ my problems," Reginafan says to DisneyMeerkats as he goes through the sack of ingredients the troll brought him, checking them off as he goes. "How did the talk with your daughter go?" Disney wonders, to which Reginafan replies, "Not good. Not good at all." He continues going through the ingredients, but soon notices, "There's something missing."  
Reginafan2626, scythe-in-hand, walks down into DeviousPeep's magic laboratory as she is teaching some of her student witches. When she sees the Evil Bureau approach, she tells her girls to leave in order to give them some privacy, and the young ladies melt into puddles of blood and flow away. "The hair of my worst enemy," Reginafan says. "Excuse me?" Peep asks, and Reginafan tells her, "That's the last ingredient. The hair of my worst enemy. You know it's near impossible for me to get anywhere _near_ Rena Charming." "Oh," she says, " _That_. I had a feeling you'd stop by." "Yes, well, how am I going to complete the Virus without the last ingredient?" he wonders. "As it so happens," Peep reveals, "When I last paid a visit to our dear old Bureaus, I took a hair from each of their heads. I needed them for personal reasons, of course, but from Rena Charming's… I took two. I'd be willing to give you one if _you're_ willing to negotiate terms." "Why are you negotiating? _You're_ the one who wants the Virus enacted," he reminds her. "Yes, but you're not in a position to _not_ negotiate; Staff is hot on your tail, you killed one of them… you need to enact this Virus as fast as you can. So, I'll give you one of Rena Charming's hairs… if _you_ give me some of your blood." "Why do you need my blood?" Reginafan wonders, but Peep merely smiles, like she does. "I thought I told you," she says, "My agendas will remain my own. The only question that _should_ be being asked here is: do we have a deal?" Reginafan contemplates the witch for a moment, before shaking her hand.  
Much later, all the ingredients to the Virus are seen simmering away atop a bonfire, but Reginafan has yet to add the hairs. "I promised her I'd wait," he points out to DisneyMeerkats, but when the bells of the sysop palace are heard ringing, the Evil Bureau is sure of what he must do. He sprinkles the hairs into the mixture, and smoke and lightning rise from the fire. We zoom in on Reginafan's determined face.

Josh looks determined as he knocks on Joe's door in the B&B. Joe answers and is surprised to see the Mayor there; he wonders what he wants and asks if this is about the mechanic fees. "No, no, that's all been taken care of," Josh assures, and Joe looks confused. There is a pause, and suddenly, Josh splays his hand in the same specific way he did in flashback – when he turned the Staff Member to dust. He awaits Joe's disintegration, but it doesn't happen. "Um… what are you doing?" Joe asks. "Nothing," Josh replies, waiting a few more seconds for the disintegration but giving up when nothing continues to happen. "Yes," Josh suddenly says. "What?" Joe asks, and Josh continues, "This _is_ about the mechanic fees… I wanted to tell you… it's _all_ taken care of." "Right…" Joe says, and Josh runs away; Joe shuts the door. Josh runs outside the B &B and round the corner. He tests his magic still works by turning a nearby bush to dust. "It didn't affect him…" Josh utters in a frightened voice. "It's him… it's definitely him." Tears leak from his eyes.


	3. The Admin and the Pauper

**The Admin and the Pauper**

It's a dark and stormy night. Justine is sitting in her apartment alone, bored, awaiting the return of her fiancé, Benjamin Leech. There is a knock at the door, and the beautiful blonde sighs. "Forgot your key _again_ , Ben?" she says to herself as she goes to answer. But when she opens the door, it isn't Ben who's on the other side: it's a figure dressed all in black, mask and all, carrying a gun. Justine screams, but her noise is cut short when the gun is cracked over her head. The little Mayoress crumples to the floor, unconscious, and Valentina Cunning removes her mask. She smiles down at Justine, whose sleeping face is zoomed in on.

Lady Junky's eyes shoot open as she's awoken by the sudden light caused when her maid opened the curtains. "Wakey wakey," says MaryPierceLopez, "You have to start getting ready." Lady groans and sits up. "The ball isn't until this evening." "Exactly!" Mary exclaims, "And there's so much to do. We have to alter your dress, update your mask, do your hair, have your shoes fitted—" Lady groans again and falls back asleep. Mary rolls her eyes and grabs a mirror from the lavish dressing table, shining it near the window and making it so the light catches Lady in the eyes. "Alright! Alright, I'm awake!" she exclaims, getting up and out of bed. "Then let's get to work," says Mary, "Tonight's a big night. Who knows, you could even meet your true love…"  
Elsewhere in the Once Upon a Time Wiki, Rena Charming is seen slamming his hammer down on a sheet of metal, moulding it into the perfect sword. "Okay, Rena," says his father, TV Aficionado, and Rena stops what he's doing; his father continues, "You've worked really hard this week and produced some of your best work yet – so I'm gonna reward you by giving you the day off." "Really?" Rena asks, joyous, "But… who's gonna finish this sword?" "I will," TV assures him, "Now you, go, enjoy yourself." Rena is ecstatic and leaves the blacksmiths' tent, wandering through the market village in which he lives. He is soon seen conversing with his friend, RenaBOT, who is happy to hear that his buddy is free for the day. "It lines up perfectly," he says, but Rena Charming wonders what he means. "There's a sysop ball tonight. Masquerade. I wasn't _gonna_ gatecrash, but now that _you're_ available, we can do it together!" he exclaims excitedly. "How are we gonna crash a sysop ball? We don't exactly have any—" At this, RenaBOT opens a chest wherein he keeps regal attire, fit for a Bureaucrat. "Where did you get those?" Rena wonders, at which RenaBOT reveals he stole them. Rena looks shocked, but his friend tells him to lighten up – "With these clothes and some masks on our faces, the rich girls aren't gonna be able to tell us apart from the Administrators. They'll have no clue we're common users." Rena is seen to be pondering the suggestion.

In Storywik, Renato is seen wiping down the bar of The Sword and Hammer as Joe sits down at it, nursing his drink, when Ricardo Jones – the Virus counterpart of RenaBOT – walks in. "Hey, Ricardo," Rena greets, and Ricardo greets him in turn; "Did you hear about the Mayor's daughter?" he asks. "What about the Mayor's daughter?" Rena asks, looking extremely worried, and Joe's interest is piqued also. "I heard she was kidnapped at her house. No one knows where she is," Ricardo reveals, and Rena's eyes widen with shock and worry. Immediately, he drops his cloth and runs out of the bar. Ricardo raises an eyebrow, and Joe tells him that it was lovely to meet him, before running after Renato.

Soon, Rena and Joe are seen approaching Justine's apartment, and Joe tries to point out that they can't help much by being there. Josh and Ben can be seen inside whereas Sheriff Elizabeth Knight is investigating by the door; examining the exact scene of the crime. "What are you doing here?" she wonders. "What's happened to Justine?" Rena demands to know. "What's it to you?" she continues to wonder. "He's just worried about her," Joe chimes in, "Could you tell us what you know so far?" "Well, it looks like Miss King was knocked out here and dragged from her apartment – but I don't know anything other than that," she reveals. "Oh, God…" Rena says, beginning to hyperventilate, "What if something terrible's happened to her?" "Being kidnapped is pretty terrible," Joe points out, but Rena points out in turn that Joe is not helping; he apologizes. "What are you two doing here?" Josh demands as he steps out of the apartment and sees them. "We're here to help with the investigation," Joe tells him. "Did you authorize this?" he asks Liz, but she shakes her head, staying quiet, and the Mayor turns back to Rena and Joe. "Here's my advice to you – _go home_. Before you become a hindrance. My daughter's safety is top priority, and I don't need you two imbeciles screwing it up." "We're here to help," Joe argues, "So that's what we'll do." Liz heads back into the apartment, and Josh squares up to his two enemies; "Listen here: it's in your best interests _not_ to interfere." He then heads back into the apartment and slams the door behind him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Joe asks Rena, and Rena replies, "It means something fishy's going on here… I never _did_ like the look of that Mayor…"

Reginafan2626 is seen standing at the sysop ball dressed all in his regular black and scary attire – complete with scythe. The only difference is a black masquerade mask which actually adds to his fearful demeanor. "Father," Lady Junky says, approaching him in her gorgeous gown and mask which accentuates her beautiful features, "Do you have to dress like that at a ball? You're frightening our people…" "Oh, darling… I threw this ball _to_ frighten our people. They need to be reminded who's in charge. How else am I to maintain their support and respect?" "You could maintain their support and respect by being a loving, caring ruler," Lady suggests, but he laughs, thinking this is some sort of joke. "Now go," he says, "Enjoy yourself," and he wanders off. Lady turns and immediately has a drink spilled down the front of her dress. "I'm so sorry," says Rena Charming, standing there with an empty goblet – dressed regally and also wearing a mask. "It's okay," Lady assures him, "It's my fault, really." "But I've ruined your dress," he points out. "I have others," she assures him, and MaryPierceLopez is seen approaching. "Mrs. Lady," she says, "Your dress… Come now, I'll help you clean up." "No need, Mary," Lady tells her, "I came here tonight to dance, and I shall waste no time in doing so." She then turns to Rena Charming and asks if he'd like to; he graciously accepts. The Admin and the pauper then take to the dance floor, slow dancing with one another. "So, handsome stranger, where are you from?" she wonders. "I'm Administrator KlaineObsessed of the Glee Wiki," he lies, but she immediately sees through this. "No, you're not," she says, feeling his hands with her own, "Your hands are rough: they've known work. Blacksmithing, at a guess." "You guess correctly," he tells her, and she asks if he sneaked into the ball tonight. "I did, yes," he admits, "Are you now obliged to throw me out?" "Don't worry, I won't tell," she whispers, and he smiles, saying he thought it would be nice to see how "the other half" live. "So, mysterious blacksmith, what's your _real_ name?" "Rena Charming," he says, removing his mask. "Fitting," she tells him, removing her own, "I'm A—" "Administrator Lady Junky," he says, "I know. And let me say, I've heard many tales of your beauty. I'm happy to know that none of them are true." She appears briefly offended, but he quickly adds, "In that you are far, _far_ more beautiful than what any amount of words can describe." "Why, thank you," she says, "You're not too bad yourself." They smile at one another, and the music soon comes to an end. "This is… where we switch partners," she says disappointedly. "But I don't want to," he says, to which she replies, "Me neither." New music starts playing, and they continue dancing with one another into the night, placing their masks back on their faces.

Duct tape is ripped from Justine's face and, with her mouth free, she screams. "Shut up!" yells the black figure that kidnapped her; Valentina wears a device on her face which masks her voice. The beautiful blonde is tied to a chair in a rather dank building which has quite clearly met with fire. "Who are you?" Justine asks, tears streaming from her eyes, "What do you want?" "To turn you in to your rich father for a ransom, of course. In fact, I think I'll call him now and discuss terms." Justine looks fearful as Valentina leaves the room. She removes her mask, and the voice-moderator, and takes out her cell phone, dialling Josh's number. "How's it going?" Josh asks, to which Valentina replies, "All according to plan." "Excellent," Josh says with an eerie smile.

Back at The Sword and Hammer, Rena appears panicked, saying that he has to rescue Justine. Joe tries to remind him that Sheriff Knight is on the job, but Rena points out that three people are more likely to find her than one. "Three?" Joe questions. "Well, you'll help me search, right?" Rena requests. "So it's settled? You _are_ searching?" "Of course. I… I have to save her." "Are you sure this isn't just to… impress Justine?" Joe wonders. "Of course not!" Rena exclaims, "I am genuinely concerned for her safety!...and I want to impress her. Now come on!" "Where are we going?" Joe asks. "The Mayor will be gone by now. Let's head back to the scene of the crime. There could be something there the sheriff missed." He leaves and Joe follows. The shot closes of Rena's determined face.

And zooms out from his sleeping one. Rena Charming lies next to Lady Junky in her bedroom at the palace, the two of them having spent the night together. "Last night was amazing," he says as he wakes up. "That it was," says Lady. "Mrs. Lady," MaryPierceLopez calls as she enters the room, "Time to wa—" She screams. Lady is stunned and shushes her maid. "Mary, Mary, calm down, okay? Just… don't tell my father, please," Lady begs. "That's going to be a problem," says Mary, "Because he's on his way to talk to you now." Lady's eyes widen, and she pushes Rena out of bed. "Get dressed, and climb out the window," she instructs him, before turning to her maid, "Stall him." Rena quickly begins putting his clothes from the previous night back on, and once he's done so, a knock is heard at the door. "Lady Junky…" Reginafan2626's voice is heard saying. Rena quickly hides behind the bed, but Mary steps out and tells the Evil Bureaucrat that he's going to have to wait, for his daughter's not decent. Rena begins climbing out the window, his feet rested on the trellis of her message wall, and he promises to see her again. The two of them part with a passionate kiss, and Rena climbs down the trellis and out of sight just as Reginafan enters the room. "Hello, father," Lady greets, and he greets her in turn. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Lady wonders, and Reginafan reveals that he met Administrator Villain fan of Lostpedia at the ball last night – he's arranged for the two of them to meet, and if things go well, Villain could even end up being her husband.

Ben is seen sitting in his apartment, not looking at all worried about the fact that his fiancée's been kidnapped. Meanwhile, Rena and Joe show up outside. "So, what are we looking for?" Joe wonders. "Just… clues. Anything you can find," Rena tells him. They begin scouring the floor, and eventually, Joe asks, "What's this?" He runs his hands across a trail of faint black powder on the floor. "Soot," Rena clarifies, getting a closer look. "So, the kidnapper's been spending a lot of time around soot? Does that narrow it down?" says Joe. "Actually, yes…" Rena tells him. "There's an old bakery on the outskirts of town. Burned down… well, I don't remember _when_ specifically, but it's never been repaired." "Great," says Joe, "So that's where we'll look. Lead the way." Rena begins leaving and Joe follows on.  
The two of them soon arrive at the abandoned, wrecked bakery beside the woods and enter, going up a shaky flight of stairs. "Careful," Rena whispers. Joe nods, and they soon made it to a closed door. Rena opens it a crack and peers in… and sees Lady, tied to a chair, looking scared out of her life. "Oh my God…" Rena utters, "She's in there!" "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go save her!" Joe exclaims. "Right," says Rena, preparing to barge in, but suddenly, a block of wood hits him round the head and he's knocked out. Joe doesn't have time to look confused, for a the same block of wood hits him too. He too falls unconscious. The air ripples and Josh emerges from some sort of cloaking spell. "I told you two _not_ to screw this up!" he says to himself, "My daughter _will_ love the man I set out for her!" His face looks determined as ever.

Reginafan2626 is seen approaching Lady's bedroom. He goes to knock but sees that the door's been left open a crack, and so he peers in. Lady is talking with Rena Charming through her window; he again stands on the trellis. "I know you're getting married soon," Rena says, "But I can't live without you. I love you, Lady." "And I, you," she assures him, "But my father is very insistent and he's not the kind of man one should cross." "He doesn't frighten me," Rena tells her, but Lady tells him in turn that he should; "He's a very powerful man." "I don't believe that his vile magic is as strong as our love. Run away with me, Lady. I'm sick of this tawdry affair; these stolen moments. I want to be with you… forever. I know you're not used to a life of poverty, and I am a mere blacksmith, but…" "I don't care about money," she says, "As long as I have _you_." "Are you saying…?" "Yes, I will run away with you," she promises. "Excellent!" Rena exclaims, "I shall meet you by the palace gates, tomorrow." "I'll see you then, my love," she utters, kissing him with passion once more before he climbs down the trellis. Reginafan2626 continues listening at the door, and looks horrified.

Josh looks happy when Ben arrives at the old bakery. "Are you ready?" he asks. "As ready as I'll ever be," Ben replies. He then spots the unconscious Rena and Joe in the corner; "What are they doing here?" "Never mind them, I had a run a little interference. Now go, rescue my daughter," Josh urges. "Okay," Ben says, taking a deep breath. He then barges into the room and Lady looks shocked. Val stays where she is, and with one faked punch, she falls to the floor instantly, playing unconscious. Ben unties Lady and carries her in his arms. She is too shocked to speak. "Don't worry, baby. I've got you." "You… you saved me," she utters. "Yes I did," says Ben. "I… I guess you're my hero," she adds, and Josh (who's hiding behind another cloaking spell, shielding Rena and Joe also) smiles as Ben carries his fiancée to safety.

Reginafan2626 approaches Rena Charming, who's standing outside the palace gates, waiting for Lady Junky. "Looking for my daughter?" the Evil Bureau asks. Rena looks rather intimidated. "Why, no, your majesty. What on Wikia would give you that idea?" he asks nervously. "I heard you," Reginafan reveals, "Making plans to run away with my daughter. I'm not going to allow it." Rena suddenly finds his strength and draws himself up to his full height, saying, "She's not yours to control. Lady Junky is a woman now and she's capable of making her own decisions!" "Which means she's capable of making the _wrong_ decisions," Reginafan points out. "They're still hers to make!" "Oh, dear boy, no… they're _mine_." "You know… I never really believed people when they said you were the 'Evil Bureaucrat'… but now I see it." "Infer what you like, I don't care so long as you leave and never come back," Reginafan orders. "Never," says Rena, drawing a homemade sword, "I love Lady and I am willing to fight you for her." "Oh, you foolish boy," Reginafan comments, holding out his spare hand and consuming the blacksmith in flames. However, the flames do nothing and extinguish upon contact with him. Reginafan looks confused. He continues trying to kill Rena with magic, but it continues having no effect. "I knew your powers were no match for our love," Rena exclaims, and Reginafan rolls his eyes, sarcastically saying, "Yes, that _must_ be it…" He then swings his scythe towards Rena, but Rena blocks it with his sword. A battle rages, but the two of them appear evenly matched with their respective weapons. Soon enough, Reginafan simply grabs the charming young lad by the arm and the two of them disappear in a large cloud of black.  
They reappear in a rather frightening place; a dark forest filled with dark creatures and magic; evil things can be heard scuttling around in the eternal night. "What is this place?!" Rena demands to know, and Reginafan smiles evilly before revealing, "This is the Creepypasta Wiki – and it's where you shall remain." The Evil Bureau raises a hand and forms a pair of cuffs. They latch themselves to Rena's wrist, causing him to drop his sword, and chain him to a tree, which Reginafan then makes indestructible with a brief spell. "The nightmares of this Wiki should drive you to insanity – or kill you – providing you don't starve to death first. Either way, you are finished." "I will find a way to escape – love always finds a way!" Rena exclaims. Reginafan laughs, "Good luck with that. If you'll excuse me, I have a daughter to control. You're a blacksmith, Rena Charming. Administrators don't marry blacksmiths. They marry other Administrators. Hopefully this whole experience will teach you to never again play out of your league. Of course, it doesn't matter what lesson you learn. Dead men don't tend to change." The Evil Bureau then disappears in another flurry of black smoke.  
He appears back outside the palace gates, where Lady Junky is now waiting with a small bag of possessions. "Father…" she utters, shocked to see him. He reaches behind his back and creates a piece of paper with writing on it, pretending to pull it from his pocket and hand it to her. "I found this pinned to the gates this morning. It's for you." Lady takes the note and begins reading aloud…

 _Dear Lady Junky, I know I said I loved you, but I'm afraid I cannot run away with you. For you see, I am but a mere blacksmith, and you would never truly be happy with me. You should stay at your palace and marry Villain fan, for he is who you truly belong with. I am deeply sorry that we could not be together, and because my heart breaks just writing this, I have decided to take my own life. Please, don't come looking for me. By the time you read this, I'll already be dead. I'm not for you, Lady. You don't belong with me. You deserve the best, and sadly, I am not. Yours sincerely,_

 _Rena Charming_

Tears stream from Lady's eyes and her father embraces her, stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort his daughter. "Don't worry, my darling. I know exactly what will cheer you up: a wedding. Villain fan will let you forget all about this… Rena Charming."

Renato walks back into The Sword and Hammer, looking rather defeated, with Joe trailing along behind. "We failed," Rena utters. "But at least Justine _was_ rescued," Joe points out. "Yes," Rena nods, "That's the important thing," he tells himself. Suddenly, Liz enters the premises, looking pensive. "What is it, Liz?" Joe wonders, and she sadly says, "Renato Smith… you're under arrest." "What?!" Rena exclaims, "Why?!" "Benjamin Leech gave his report on the kidnapping… he said he saw you at the scene of the crime. I'm afraid all the evidence points to _you_ being the kidnapper." "That's ridiculous!" Rena tells her. "You can't seriously believe this," Joe adds. "I don't," Liz admits, "But I've got to do my job." She takes out a pair of handcuffs and tells Rena that it'll be better for him if he doesn't struggle. Rena remains quiet and shocked as the sheriff cuffs him.

Over at Storywik General Hospital, Nurse Joanna Seer enters the room of Natalia Grant. "Good news," the nurse says. "What, you need another stool sample?" Natalia asks, unenthusiastically. "No, silly," Joanna says, "You're free to go, so to speak." "You mean… I can leave?" Natalia realizes excitedly. "Absolutely. You have a place to live and a steady job as a… Sorry, what was it?" "I'm a maid," Natalia replies grudgingly. "Yes," Joanna continues, "And you've been deemed perfectly healthy, so there's really no need to keep you under observation any longer. You can pack up and go home." Natalia smiles and happily hugs the nurse, who proceeds to exit the room. She heads to the nurse's station where she finds Natalia's chart; it rather clearly states she's to stay under observation for a few weeks longer, but Joanna removes the paper and sticks it into the nearby shredder. She smiles. "I'm so devious," she says to herself, joyously; she gives her red hair and flick with her hand and continues to go about her day.

Rena is seen locked up in a cell in the Sheriff's Station. "Sorry about this," Liz says from her desk, but Rena assures her it's okay; he just hopes this will all get cleared up in good time. "Sheriff Knight," Justine's voice is heard saying, and the blonde beauty enters the station, "Free this man, immediately." "What?" Liz says. "Justine…" Rena utters fondly. "I remember very specifically that it was a _woman_ who knocked me out and kidnapped me. This man is completely innocent. You say he badgered you to see how the case was going? Well, my attacker was with me the entire time. This man was simply trying to help." "I have a name," Rena mutters. "Sorry," says Justine, "Renato." Renato looks like he's about to melt as Liz succumbs to Justine's versions of events and opens the door to the jail cell, saying she'll put all this in the report; she asks if Justine will stay to help her put everything together, and she agrees to. "Um, thank you for helping me," Rena says, and Justine replies, "My pleasure." She extends a hand and he shakes it. The moment they come into contact with one another, they both feel something. They stare deeply into each other's eyes for what seems like an eternity to them, but they seen cut off the handshake and Rena makes his way out of the Sheriff's Station after bidding his true love goodbye.  
Joe is seen sitting in his room at the B&B when he gets a phone call. "Hello?" he answers, and Rena is on the other line. "Is this your one phone call? Shouldn't you call a lawyer or something?" Joe wonders. "No need, I'm free," Rena explains. "Amazing! How did that happen?" "Justine. It was all her. She came in, said I wasn't the attacker and… Liz was obliged to free me." "That's great!" Joe exclaims. "Yeah, it is," Rena agrees, "So now I want to thank you." "Thank me?" "You helped me find her even though you didn't have to; even though it was a stupid thing to do… so I cleared everything with my dad and he's agreed to let you sublet our spare room." "Oh…" Joe utters, "I don't have any money…" "Not a problem," says Rena, "Because he's also agreed to let you tend bar. So, what do you think?" "My car's going to be out of the shop in a couple of days…" "I'm not hearing a 'no'," Rena points out, and Joe says, "Oh, what the heck, yes. I guess I'm staying in Storywik." "Excellent," Rena says, "I'll see you here soon." He hangs up the phone, but Joe receives another call. "Hey, Joe…" says a familiar voice. "Hi, Natalia…" Joe replies courteously. "Look, I know you think I'm a total loon, but I just got out of hospital and my apartment has a spare bedroom and I know you don't have a place to stay, so…" "Actually, I do." "What?" "Have a place to stay. I'm going to be living in the apartment about The Sword and Hammer. Thank you for the offer, though." "No problem," says Natalia, hanging up the phone angrily.

As Josh makes his way to his office, he sees Joe entering The Sword and Hammer with a small box of possessions, and looks deeply annoyed. Soon enough, he's inside and sitting behind his desk when there is a knock on his door. "Come in," Josh summons, and Ricardo Jones enters. "What can I do for you?" Josh wonders, and Ricardo says it's about Justine's kidnapping. "What about it?" "It's just… earlier I saw Renato Smith heading to the old bakery with the new guy, so I followed them, wondering where they were going, and I saw Benjamin Leech leaving with Justine in his arms… but out the back, I saw your PA, Valentina Cunning, leaving, dressed all in black and carrying a gun. I know Rena was freed because your daughter says her attacker was a woman, so… I think you should look into it." "And tell me, Ricardo, have you told this to the sheriff?" Josh wonders. "No, but I plan to," Ricardo says, "I came here first in case you were in danger or something. After all, if your PA is willing to kidnap your daughter to get money out of you, what might she do to you?" "I see…" Josh says, getting up from his desk and walking over to the door; he locks it. "You're right, Ricardo. Valentina _did_ kidnap Justine… per my instructive…" "I… don't understand," Ricardo says. "And you're not going to," Josh tells him. He splays his hand and Ricardo is soon reduced to a pile of dust on the carpet. The magic Mayor heads towards the phone and dials a number; "Hello, Valentina? I'm going to need you in my office immediately… bring a vacuum."


	4. A Chat Mod's Tale

**A Chat Mod's Tale**

Liz's eyes shoots open. She's is seen getting up in her small apartment, and making breakfast for herself. She eats it at her one-person table, and proceeds to get dressed for work. At work, she sits in her desk all day, going through paperwork and looking bored. Come dinner time, she uses the Sheriff's Station's microwave to cook a burrito for one, and she eats it alone at her desk before going through more paperwork. She unpins her sheriff's badge and looks at it, throwing it down on the desk. She sighs. Soon, she receives a phone call, and picks it up tiredly. "Hello," says Rena on the other line, "I'd like to report a missing person." Liz looks somewhat excited. "Who are you reporting as missing?" she wonders. "Ricardo Jones," he says, "I haven't seen him in over two days now, I'm getting worried. Last I heard, he was heading to the Mayor's office." "I'll get right on it," she says excitedly, picking up her sheriff's badge and pinning it back onto her jacket.

A brooch is unpinned from ImmaGleek's fancy gown by her mother, The St. Berry Fairy, who insists that it completely clashes with the color scheme of her dress; "Also, I think that corset could be pulled a little tighter." "I'm not sure that's possible…" Imma says, but her mother is soon standing behind her and pulling at the lace, tying it so tight to the point where Imma struggles to breathe. " _Much_ better," Berry comments. "Yeah… it's great," Imma utters weakly, taking out a hand fan and fanning herself repeatedly. "Hmm…" Berry says, "Something's still missing… Oh, I know! I'll be right back with the _perfect_ necklace." "Yay," Imma feigns, and Berry leaves the room. Imma sighs (as much as she can in the corset) and moves over to the window, watching as her brother – Queso24 – practises sword fighting with one of his buddies. She leans her elbows on the window sill and watches longingly, at which point her mother walks in, necklace in tow. "Imma, dear, what are you doing? Stand up straight; you'll ruin your gown." "I don't care about my stupid dress, mother!" Imma exclaims, "I wanna be out there, fighting, with the boys!" "Don't be silly," Berry tells her, "Men don't go for women who can beat them in a fight. They go for ladies. You are a lady. If you do not act like one, how do you expect to gain a husband and bear his children? How will you get everything you've ever wanted?" "Everything _you've_ ever wanted," Imma points out, "I've never wanted any of that. I wanna… I wanna be a Chat Moderator." "That's ridiculous," her mother tells her, "Now stop daydreaming and put on this damn necklace." Imma looks sad.

Liz looks happy, finally having something to do, as she approaches the apartment of Justine King and Benjamin Leech; she knocks, and Justine answers the door. "Sheriff Knight? What are you doing here?" "I'm here to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of Ricardo Jones," she explains. "I wasn't aware he had disappeared. But I'd be happy to answer any—" Justine is cut off by Ben, who comes to the door and says they don't know anything, proceeding to ask why she thought they would. Liz explains that he was last seen heading to the Mayor's office, but she phoned around and some people saw him heading to the bakery on the day of the kidnapping, and, since their apartment is closer than the Mayor's office, she stopped by first to ask if they'd seen him. "I'm sorry," Justine tells her, "We haven't." "Aw well," Liz says, "Thank you for your time." Ben shuts the door. The sheriff leaves, disappointed, whilst inside, Ben says, "Speaking of the kidnapping, you've not really thanked me for saving you yet…" "What are you talking about?" Justine asks, "I've thanked you many times." "Not properly," he points out, "You know…" his eyes dart towards the bedroom, and Justine looks disgusted. "I thought I'd made it clear that I was saving myself for our wedding night," she reminds him, but he says that special circumstances should allow for exceptions. He grabs her and kisses her, poorly, but Justine pushes him away, feeling violated. "I told you, not yet," she states, keeping him at an arm's length. He sighs, annoyed, as she walks away.

Liz is next seen knocking on the door to the Mayor's office, and Josh answers. "Sheriff," he greets, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to ask a few questions about the disappearance of Ricardo Jones. He was last reported as heading to your office two nights ago," she explains. "Well, I can assure you, he never made it here. Whatever happened, it must have happened on the way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Mayoral duties to be getting on with. " "Well, can't I ask you a few questions?" she wonders. "I have nothing more to tell you," the Mayor assures, and Liz says it's weird; "It's as though he just vanished off the face of the Earth." "That _is_ weird," Josh agrees, wanting her to leave. "Don't worry, Mr. Mayor: I will get to the bottom of this mystery if it is the last thing I do!" "Great," Josh says, slamming his office door in the sheriff's face. Inside, Valentina is sitting at her desk, asking if Josh is going to kill Elizabeth like he killed Ricardo. "No," Josh assures, "Killing Ricardo was a rash mistake; I shouldn't have done it. If more people disappear, this town is going to figure out that something's up. But still, Sheriff Knight could prove to be a nuisance… we have to think of a way to stop her from investigating." "I could have her taken care of," Val says. "I told you, we're not killing her." "I wasn't talking about killing her… just maybe… having her beaten up a little bit. I know some guys," she explains. "I don't know… sounds risky," Josh points out, but Valentina points out in turn, "People like this Sheriff Knight are far too honorable to give into things such as bribery. Trust me, the only thing people like her respond to is a bit of good, old-fashioned violence."

ImmaGleek wields a sword and charges towards her brother, who too carries a sword; they clash, and the two of them proceed to fight. The St. Berry Fairy soon runs out, screaming, and exclaims that Imma has ruined her dress. Imma looks down at said dress, seeing all the mud and filth on it, but reminds her mother that this is the final day she has to spend with Queso24 before he leaves for Chat Moderation training; "Please, just let me enjoy it," she begs. Berry sighs and heads back inside, and Imma and Queso sit down together. "Thank you for teaching me to throw my sword with accuracy," she says. "You're welcome," he replies, "Could come in handy someday… I'm really gonna miss you, sis." "Not as much as I'm gonna miss you. Who's gonna teach me how to fight now?" He smiles, "Just keep practicing what you know. Soon enough, you'll be good enough to enter your own Chat Moderation training." "You know they don't accept girls," Imma sighs. "That's because they haven't seen you fight yet," he points out, and Imma smiles. She hugs her brother, and tears begin to stream from her eyes. "I really am gonna miss you," she says. "And I, you," he assures her yet again, and Imma sighs with sadness.

Liz sighs with frustration as she heads back to her apartment, not having found a single piece of evidence all day. Suddenly, she is approached by four men, all dressed I black. She looks frightened, as well she should be, and it isn't long before they all begin wailing on her. Liz falls to the ground, having received multiple punches, and receives multiple kicks once she's down there. "Leave Ricardo alone," one of the gruffer ones is heard saying, and the four men vanish into the night. Liz continues crying on the ground.

ImmaGleek cries in her mother's arms, and Berry too has lost her composure. "I… I can't believe it," Imma utters, devastated, "How can… how can Queso have died? He was such a good fighter…" "I know, sweetie, I know…" Berry says, comforting her daughter. They continue to cry in each others' arms, but soon, a bell is heard ringing throughout the town. Imma runs out of the house, wiping her eyes clean, to see a Chat Moderator on a horse, wielding the bell. More and more people emerge from their homes. "What is it, what's wrong?!" Imma demands to know, and the Chat Mod announces that the Wiki is under attack from a fearsome dragon who currently resides atop the mountain, so they're gathering as many men as they can to aid them in slaying it; they are to be leaving first thing tomorrow morning in order to subdue it before it has a chance to attack. He urges all the men in the town to sign up in attacking it, and many of them do so, scratching their names on a piece of parchment with quills. "Can I sign my brother's name on his behalf? He's unavailable currently, but he's a Chat Moderator, so I know he'll be taking part," Imma calls. The Chat Mod assures her that that would be fine, and Imma signs Queso24 on the parchment. Her mother asks her what she's doing, and Imma asks if it isn't obvious; "I'm going to fight in Queso's stead." She goes inside and unsheathes a sword amongst her brother's possessions. The sharp blade gleams in the light.

As does the tip of the hypodermic needle as it enters Liz's arm. "What's the shot for?" Liz asks as Joanna Seer retracts the needle, and Joanna says that Liz got many cuts around her body when she fell, and one can never be too careful when it comes to tetanus. "Thank you for making this house call," Liz says, but Joanna assures her it's no problem. Liz thanks her further for not asking any questions, and Joanna tells her that that's not problem either; "It's my job to help you, not to badger you." She gives Liz one final look-over. "Now, you have a concussion, so I'd advise you to call someone to keep an eye on you and prevent you falling asleep so you don't, you know, die. Is there anyone you can trust to do that?" the nurse wonders. Liz thinks for a moment, and nods, grabbing the phone.  
Joe is seen arriving at Liz's apartment once Joanna is gone; he immediately sees her cuts and bruises and asks what happened. Liz bursts into tears, and tells him that she was attacked. Joe is stunned, and asks her who did it, and she explains that she was ambushed by four men outside her home and told by one of them to "leave Ricardo alone". "What the hell does that mean?" Joe wonders, and Liz suggests it means she stop investigating the disappearance of Ricardo Jones. "What? You can't do that… You're the sheriff, if the law can slip by you, who can this town rely on?" "I don't know, but I'm out," she proclaims. "But…" "But nothing. I was beaten up outside my own home and I'm _scared_ , Joe. What if they come back? And if they do, what if they finish the job? No, this is a sign. This case is just… not meant to be gotten to the bottom of." "That's ridiculous," Joe says. "I'm sorry, where you the one who was just kicked to the curb? Joe, this isn't up for discussion, I tried following the case and I got nothing. And it looks like I'm not going to." "Why did you call me over?" Joe wonders, and Liz explains that the nurse said she has a concussion, so he has to make sure she doesn't fall asleep and die. "Right… okay," Joe says, and the two of them simply sit opposite each other in Liz's living room, awkwardly. Soon, Liz bursts into tears, and Joe moves to sit next to her. He puts his arm around her and assures her that everything's going to be okay, stroking her hair and shushing her wails. Liz, with her tear-soaked eyes, looks up at Joe and he looks at her; he uses his thumb to wipe the tears from her cheek… and the two of them kiss.

ImmaGleek, in full Chat Moderator's armor and helmet, treks up the mountain of the Once Upon a Time Wiki along with many other men in armor. "Hey, Queso, why not take your helmet off?" one of the Mods asks. "I don't wanna," she says, "Um… I mean, who knows when and where the dragon might attack?" "Yeah, 'cause _you're_ gonna have such a chance at defeating it," he laughs, "Aren't you a little short to be a Chat Moderator, anyway?" Imma scoffs, "I could take you any day." "Oh yeah?" the man asks, drawing his sword. "Yeah," Imma says, drawing her own. Their swords clash, and it's not long before Imma knocks the other guy's out of his hand and his him on his knees, in the ideal position to behead him. The surrounding Chat Mods laugh at the fallen man, and Imma simply says, "Told you so." "Stop it!" the leading Chat Mod from earlier yells, "How on Wikia do you expect us to be able to fight a dragon if we keep fighting amongst ourselves?! We need to work _together_ if we're to have any chance of—" He is suddenly burned to a crisp. Everyone looks up as the massive dragon flies over head. It lands behind the group, lifts a Chat Mod into its hand and bites his head off. "That's why I keep my helmet on," Imma comments, trying to veil her shock and fear.

Liz is shocked to wake up in her bed, naked, to Joe dressing in his clothes from the night before in an attempt to sneak out of the apartment, the two of them having had sex. "Seriously?" she asks, "You're one of those." "Sorry," he says, "I got an early shift at the bar; I gotta get to work." "At least one of us has a full day of work ahead of them," she comments. "You could too," he says, but she shakes her head, saying she's done with all that now; she's just going to head to the station and be bored from 9 'til 5. "Alright," Joe concedes, finishing getting dressed, "Oh, and I'm sorry for letting you fall asleep." "It's alright," she assures, "I had fun last night. Made me forget all about…. you know." "Good," he says, "I'm glad. And me too." He proceeds to leave.  
Joe is seen sneaking into Rena's apartment above the bar early in the morning; Rena is already in the living room. "Well someone didn't come home last night," he comments, "Did you… you know, get lucky?" "No, I was just… sleepwalking." Rena raises an eyebrow, "You had sex, didn't you? You little slut," he jokes, "Go on, who's the lucky gal." Joe groans, before admitting that he spent the night with Liz. "No way!" Rena exclaims, "You slept with the sheriff?" "I may have," Joe says, and Rena looks surprised, wondering how it happened. "Well… she needed comforting… she was attacked last night," Joe explains. Rena looks even more surprised, and asks why. "Someone didn't want her finding out what happened to Ricardo… I think it may have been the Mayor," he admits. "Why?" asks Rena and Joe explains it makes sense: Ricardo went to see the Mayor and disappeared, Josh hears about the investigation and has Liz beaten up. Rena wonders why Josh would want Ricardo gone, and Joe shrugs, saying that that's something he's less sure about. "But you're sure that the Mayor had Sheriff Knight attacked?" Joe nods; "Who else has hired goons in this town?" "Right… so why haven't you confronted him yet?" "Why do you expect me to confront him?" Joe wonders, and Rena shrugs, saying he's always viewed Joe as a rather headstrong person. "Yeah," Joe says, "You're right." He then turns around, commenting, "I'm gonna go face this monster." ("What about your shift?" Rena is heard calling, but Joe doesn't hear.)

In flashback, ImmaGleek looks up at the massive dragon which threatens her and her comrades. Within seconds, the first ten men to run at it are turned to ash. Imma is horrified. More and more people charge at it and die for doing so. It's about to breathe fire in Imma's direction when she ducks behind a rock and manages to avoid it (those behind her are less lucky). Imma draws her sword and looks down on it.  
She flashes to her and her brother in battle practise. He is showing her how to throw a sword, and she does so, hitting the center of a target with her blade.  
Imma looks up at the dragon whilst most men on the mountain begin running away. She grips her sword the way her brother taught her and lifts it over her head, making sure to get her aim just right. She lunges, throwing the sword, and soon enough, the dragon is speared between the eyes. Its dead body slides down the side of the mountain, landing in a ditch, and all the Chat Mods look shocked. "Thank you, Queso…" ImmaGleek whispers to herself, and it's not long before all remaining her comrades lift her up above their heads and cheer her brother's name. Beneath her helmet, Imma is ecstatic.

Liz looks happy as she walks down the street; Natalia watches from afar. She looks from Liz to the smoke in the background, enveloping the entire town. "No," she utters, "No!" Liz looks towards Natalia, seeming confused, when suddenly, the smoke envelops her, and Liz becomes a dismembered corpse. Her blood and body parts litter the streets, along with everyone else's, and Natalia screams.  
Natalia wakes up in her bed in her apartment with a start, sweating and looking scared. "No," she whispers to herself, "Never again…"

Joe is seen knocking on the door of Josh's office, and Josh answers. "Yes, Mr. Kahn?" "I know what you did and it makes me sick," Joe tells him, but Josh proclaims that he has no idea what his adversary is talking about. "I'm talking about Liz, you son of a bitch. You sent those goons to attack her!" Joe exclaims. "Interesting theory…" says Josh, "And, do you have any proof of this supposed transaction?" "Well…" "No? What a surprise. Do yourself a favor, Mr. Kahn, and don't make accusations without knowing all the facts. Now leave my presence. You annoy me." Josh slams the door in someone's face for the second day in a row, and Joe storms off angrily.

Liz is seen sitting in the Sheriff's Station, looking at all the boring paperwork sitting on her desk. She sighs, but her sad face conveys shock when Joe barges in. "Um… yes?" she says, startled, and Joe tells her that she can't give up. "What?" "You _have_ to continue searching for the truth, and not just about Ricardo." "What are you talking about?" Liz wonders, and Joe tells her that Mayor King sent those people to beat her up. "No… why would he have—" "Think about it," Joe tells her, "He's obviously behind Ricardo's disappearance – possibly death – after all, he was last seen heading to the Mayor's office. You go to question him about it and suddenly you're attacked. Who else has the kind of power to make that happen in this town?" "I really don't think that Joshua King would have—" "Really? You don't think he's capable? Everyone in this town is afraid of him, and there's a reason why. He's ruthless," Joe points out. "That's true, but—" "Liz!" Joe exclaims, "You can't let him win!" She frowns, "Say that the Mayor _is_ behind this… I've already lost. By now he would have covered up any piece of evidence I could have used to convict him… it's too late." "Still, say you'll reopen the case," Joe insists. "There's really no point in…" "Just say you'll reopen the case," he begs, and Liz concedes; "Alright… the case remains open." Joe smiles, "One way or another, that smug bastard is going down eventually." "I doubt I can do much to contribute," Liz says, but Joe shakes his head, "Don't say that… I've come to know you this past week. When you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

"This is Queso24," says MaryPierceLopez in flashback, "He singlehandedly defeated the dragon that was plaguing the Wikis." ImmaGleek is brought before the Bureaucrats, Rena Charming and Lady Junky, the latter of which thanks her maid and tells her she can go. "Stand forwards, Queso24," she then says, and Imma does just that. Rena tells her that she shall have the opportunity to act as their personal bodyguard, for they can think of no one better. Imma is overjoyed, but tells the sysops that she cannot accept such an honor without being totally honest with them. Lady wonders what she means, and Imma tells them that her name isn't Queso24; "It's ImmaGleek… and I'm a girl." She removes her helmet, allowing them to visually confirm the fact that she's a female, and everyone in the throne room looks stunned. "Well, this changes everything," says Lady, "We must schedule a Chat Mod-hood for you." "Wh-what?" Imma asks. "You didn't expect us to dismiss you simply because you lied about your identity, did you? The fact of the matter is, you slew a dragon by yourself. Even some of the greatest Chat Moderators in history are unable to say that for themselves. We can't let an amazing fighter such as yourself go to waste. No, I insist that you live here as our official protector." "Your majesty," ImmaGleek says, bowing, "It truly is my honor." "And to celebrate the fact that you, ImmaGleek, have proven that a woman is as worthy on the battlefield as any man… I decree that Chat Moderation training programs with henceforth be accepting female students." Imma looks even more thrilled to have caused this, and Rena tells her, "Thank you for slaying the dragon. We can truly think of no one better to take care of us."

"So, has that bitch been taken care of yet?" Val asks as she enters Josh's office. "Yes, she got your little gift last night, as far as I can tell," he replies. "Excellent," Val says, "So that's that then." "Not exactly," Josh tells her, and she wonders what he means. "Joseph Kahn suspects that I had something to do with what happened to the Sheriff," he explains, but Valentina shrugs; "So what? What can he do…" "Never underestimate your enemies, my dear… I made that mistake once, and it cost me a great deal." "Alright," says Val, "So do you want him dealt with in the same way as the sheriff?" "No," Josh tells her, "If he gets beaten up after confronting me, then that will only confirm his suspicions that I am behind it. Which he already knows, of course, but still… we don't want to be giving him ammo to use against us. No, you're just going to have to think of some other way to deal with him. Are you up for the task?" he asks her. Val smiles evilly and assures him, "I'm sure I can think of something."


	5. Troll Life

**Troll Life**

We are treated to a view of a lush cottage beneath the toll bridge of Storywik. Outside it, Valentina Cunning is setting up a camera up a ladder; after making sure the view of her bedroom is perfect, she sets it on a timer and runs inside. She rushes up the small flight of stairs and into her room, where she begins undressing. As she does so, the camera outside takes multiple pictures; some of her partially covered, others not. She smiles, putting on a robe and heading back outside, where she collects the camera. She is next seen sitting at her computer, going through the photos. "Beautiful and genius," she says of herself, "But mostly beautiful."

A stunning beautiful woman in odd yet flattering blue robes is seen knocking on the door of a building which resembles an elaborate church. DeviousPeep answers, adorned in skimpy red, and says to the woman, "I was beginning to think you weren't coming… do you have it?" The woman smiles and opens the box in her hands, revealing a shining, golden ring. "Excellent," says Peep with an amazed smile on her face, "Do come in." The woman accepts the invitation and heads into the church, following Peep into a room where she pours two glasses of red wine. "You understand why I was hesitant, of course. It's not often that the Maidens of Middle-Earth want to trade favors with us Wiki Witches. So, it's genuine?" Peep asks. "Yes," the woman replies, "Forged in the heart of the Lord of the Rings Wiki itself, why don't you try it on?" "Don't mind if I do," says Peep, putting down her wine glass and taking the golden ring from the box; she places it on her finger. She frowns. "So, shall we discuss my payment?" the woman asks. "See, here's the thing… I don't pay for false goods. Nor do I reward frauds," Peep says. "What do you mean?" asks the woman. "If this were the real Ring of Charge, then I wouldn't be able to do this," the Blood Wiccan says, flaring heat into her hand and causing the ring to melt into a golden puddle on the floor. "Oh, my!" the woman exclaims, "Trust me when I say I had no idea—" "Save it. Like I said… I don't reward frauds." With that, Peep grips the beautiful woman by the throat and forces DisneyMeerkats to retreat into the grotesque troll it really is. "Trust _me_ when I say the only reason you're not dead right now is because, quite frankly, you're too pathetic to kill. Now scuttle away, you ugly little urchin. It's home-time." And with _that_ DisneyMeerkats suddenly finds itself falling from atop the bridge it lives under. It soon manages to grab part of the frame and swing to safety, proceeding to climb down to the bottom of the ditch and return to its shack. It clicks its fingers and transforms into the beautiful woman and looks at itself in the mirror, continuing to looks as it returns to its true form. It sighs, staring at its own hideous reflection.

Valentina Cunning stares at her own reflection for a moment before climbing through the window of The Sword and Hammer, appearing in a back room. She peers her head out the door to make sure Joe is working at the bar, and proceeds up a flight of stairs to the apartment above. She takes Josh's extensive set of skeleton keys from out of her purse and uses them to unlock the door. When she's inside, she is met to the sound of Renato singing in the shower. She quickly makes herself into Joe's bedroom and takes the photographs from earlier from her purse, proceeding to place them beneath Joe's mattress. She smiles wickedly and leaves the room – she notices a laptop sitting on the coffee table. Making sure Rena won't be leaving the shower any time soon, she opens the laptop and heads to an email site. "Ugh," she says to herself, "Who doesn't check 'keep me signed in'? Jerk-ass." She shuts the laptop, but then she notices a slip of paper sitting beside it, one which bears Joe's email address and password (see "Welcome to Storywik"). Her wicked smile returns, but when she hears the shower go off, she quickly pockets the slip of paper and rushes out of the apartment, shutting the door behind herself.

Over at their apartment, Ben and Justine are sitting on separate couches, watching television without talking. Ben suddenly grabs the remote and turns the TV off, and Justine turns her attention to her fiancé, wondering what's up. "You are… excited about our engagement party tonight, right?" he asks. Justine pauses, before coming out with, "Sure I am." Ben sighs, "Why are you always so blasé when it comes to our relationship?" "I'm not blasé, I'm excited, I just said so," she insists. "Well, then, why don't you tell your face?" She responds with a blank expression. "It's just…" he continues, "Sometimes it feels like we've been engaged for literally years, and you've never seemed to really… care." Justine stares at him for a moment. She then grabs the remote and turns the TV back on, and the unhappy couple continue watching it in silence.

Back in Val's cottage, she is seen at her computer using the slip of paper she found at Joe and Rena's apartment; she types the information into the relevant website and is granted access. She smiles, and begins sending emails to herself from Joe's account. We see her fingers type quickly on the keyboard.

Just as quickly as DisneyMeerkats scratches down information on a sheet of parchment with a quill in flashback. When it's done, the troll clicks its fingers and morphs into a spitting image of Reginafan2626, and it's next seen approaching a small house just outside the palace grounds. Disney knocks on the door, and a poor young couple answers. "Your majesty," they bow, and Disney hands them the sheet of parchment. "An eviction notice?" the man asks. "But we paid our dues just yesterday," says the woman. "Yes, well… I'm going to need you out. Immediately. This whole area is being cleared for an extension. You have until the end of this conversation to leave." "Can't we at least pack up our possessions first?" asks the woman, but "Reginafan2626" positions himself in a threatening way and utters, "Don't make me use my magic on you." The young couple run, screaming, and DisneyMeerkats smiles, returning to its true form with a click of its fingers once they're gone. It then take out its bigger-on-the-inside sack and begins stuffing inside every valuable possession in the house. It looks rather pleased with itself, until it catches its reflection in a golden goblet and its face teethes with anger. It throws the goblet to the ground, where it's zoomed in upon.

A champagne glass clinks with another in Josh's office, and the Mayor asks his personal assistant what it is they're toasting to. "To the fact that I have found the best way ever to deal with OUR Joseph Kahn problem – I have set up everything to make it look as though he's been sexually harassing me." Josh looks impressed, "You have? How?" "Well, first I took some… _compromising_ photos of myself and hid them in his apartment. And, while I was there, I found his email password. Now it appears as though our young friend has been threatening to rape me ever since he arrived," she explains. Josh smiles evilly, "That's what I love about you, Valentina. Never afraid to go the extra mile." He sips his champagne, and Valentina utters, "I'd do anything for you." "Hm?" "Nothing," she assures, and Josh asks if there's any more to her plan. "Well…" she delves, "There is _one_ final stage… one which will cause him _ultimate_ humiliation… but I'll need to use your daughter's party to do it." Josh raises an eyebrow.

At the town hall, which has been reserved for that night's engagement party, Justine walks in and sighs as she watches the hired decorators get everything ready. She then spots Renato Smith, who's setting up the bar, and she approaches him. When he spots her in turn, he looks like he's about to melt, but he stays strong and tries his best not to collapse. "What are you doing here?" she asks politely, taking a genuine interest in this handsome stranger, and he explains that he's been hired to serve drinks for the night, adding that he works for his dad at the local bar, The Sword and Hammer. Justine nods, and Rena proceeds to ask, "And, um, what are _you_ doing here, if you don't mind me asking? Only, it's a little early. The party doesn't start for a few hours." "Well," she says, "I _said_ I was coming down here to supervise everything and make sure it's all going well… but, honestly? I just needed to get away from my fiancé for a while. He drives me nuts most of the time." Now it's Rena's turn to nod. "Oh, God," Justine then says, "Why did I just tell you that? I'm sorry, I hardly know you, I shouldn't be laying my problems on you." "It's okay," he assures her. "It's just, I saw you and… immediately, sort of… trusted you," she adds. The two of them stare into each other's eyes for a while, but soon snap out of it. "Hey," he says, "What are us bartenders here for if not someone to vent to?" She smiles, and sits down. "Well," she begins, "It's not just my fiancé; it's my father…"

"Reginafan2626" knocks on the door to another house, again with a forged eviction notice in tow. The disguised DisneyMeerkats is answered by an old woman swathed in scarves, and she is humbled by the presence of the Bureaucrat, who hands her the notice. She looks at it with a shocked expression, saying that he can't possibly expect her to leave her home, but just as the impostor troll is about the reply, the old woman is blasted to smithereens. Behind her, the real Reginafan2626 stands, and he claps for the troll. "Well, well," he says, "It really is an excellent interpretation. I take it you're the one who's been making me so hated by the neighbourhoods around my castle?" "Y-yes… I'm sorry, your majesty," Disney says. "Oh, no need to apologize," he tells her, "I greatly admire your work. Really, I do. And, you can transform into anyone? Anyone at all?" Disney nods, clicking its fingers and becoming DeviousPeep. Reginafan smiles, and asks to see the troll's true form. A hesitant expression comes over Peep's face, but she soon clicks her fingers and becomes the hideous, vile creature that is DisneyMeerkats. "Wow," Reginafan2626 says, approaching it, "You are going to come in very useful to me."

"Thank you for being so useful to me," Josh says to Valentina as the two of them stand at the party, for which the whole town is in attendance. "My pleasure," she assures him, and he proceeds to ask, in a lower register, when her plan is to be set in motion. "Not quite yet," she says, "But be patient. Soon," and she immerses herself in the crowd. Josh smiles and turns around, almost immediately bumping into Joe, who's serving drinks (along with Rena, who's elsewhere). "Mr. Mayor," he says with monotonic disdain, "I'm so sorry." "No trouble," Josh says cheerily, "Enjoy the party… if you can." He too immerses himself in the crowd, and Joe appears confused. "I'll have a drink," says a familiar voice, and Joe turns to see Natalia, in a beautiful dress. He offers her the tray in his hand and she takes a champagne glass from it, thanking him. "You look beautiful," he assures her. "Yes, well…" she says, "I'll look less beautiful in a few months when the Virus expires and turns me into a pile of blood, limbs and entrails." Joe rolls his eyes, "This again?" "Yes, this again," she presses, "You _have_ to accept your destiny. You _need_ to believe. If you don't… everyone here tonight is doomed." "Natalia…" "My name is Mary," she insists, "Use it." "Mary… this is insane." "No, what's insane is that you're allowing the entirety of this town to march right into the slaughter house!" she exclaims. Joe sighs, "If you're going to spend the rest of this party trying to convince me of an evil Virus and magical memories, then you should really go home." He walks away, and now it's her turn to sigh.

Elsewhere in the party, Joanna, dressed in a skimpy, red, sparkling dress is seen approaching Josh. "Why, hello, Mr. Mayor," she greets, grabbing his attention, "Lovely party tonight." "Hello, Nurse Seer," Josh greets in return, "And thank you. How nice it is to know that this town's healthcare professionals know how to let loose and look like sluts." She chuckles, "And how nice it is to know that our tax dollars are being spent on extravagant albeit pointless get-togethers." He chuckles in turn, but the two of them soon separate, each with a look of hatred on their respective faces. As he walks away, he comes across Valentina, who's coming from the opposite direction. She stops him, smiles, and says, "I'm about to go through with it."

"I can't believe I just went through with that," DisneyMeerkats says in flashback, "And got away with it!" "You were amazing," Reginafan tells it, staring down at the full sack of gold and badges it managed to collect. Alarms are heard blazing all around, but Reginafan quickly grabs his right-hand-troll and teleports he and it to his palace. "I was right," he says, "You _have_ come in very useful to me. I must say, you're ability to transform into Bureaucrats so convincingly is astounding. Thanks to you, the Once Upon a Time Wiki is richer than ever. I do _love_ having every other wiki's money." "Glad I could help," Disney says. "So tell me," Reginafan continues, "Do _all_ trolls have this special ability?" "They did," Disney tells him, "But they're all gone now. Humans wiped them out decades ago. I'm the last of my kind." "Really?" Reginafan asks, "And you're sure there are no others hiding out there in the internet, in disguise?" Disney shakes its head, telling the Evil Bureaucrat that it's able to sense other members of its species; if there were any other trolls, she'd know."How very tragic," Reginafan comments, and Disney finds itself smiling. "Still," he says, "I don't know where I'd be without you and your special talent." "Well," it says, "The _real_ magic happens when I get particularly angry." "What happens when you get angry?" Reginafan wonders, but DisneyMeerkats tells him he wouldn't want to know; "You're the only person to have ever taken an interest in me or my heritage." It looks at him with love in its eyes.

The same way Valentina looks at Josh, before turning her attention towards Joe and keeping her eyes on the prize. She taps Joe on the shoulder and takes a glass of wine from his tray, looking frantic. He looks at her, confused, and she says she has to show him something in the back room – and it's urgent. She runs off, and Joe continues looking confused. However, he follows her anyway, putting the tray down as he goes, curious to find out what it is she's up to.

An important looking man is seen following two treasurers into his wiki's bank, being the Bureaucrat of the establishment. "Thank you," he says to his employees, but he then clicks his fingers and becomes DisneyMeerkats, who denotes them as fools. It then moves quickly and snaps each of their necks with ease, proceeding to take out its magic sack and begin loading in gold and badges. Soon, however, alarms begin to sound, and Disney look annoyed. Sysop guards show up and it puts its hands up, but when they all get one look at the hideous troll, they all burst out with laughter. Disney looks incredibly hurt, and tears form in its eyes, which only makes them laugh more, howling at the ugly beast. But soon enough, Disney stops crying, and starts bearing its teeth. "You really shouldn't make me angry," it whispers to itself, "The real magic can happen when I'm angry. It gives my transformations that extra boost!" And with that, the troll begins growing. It becomes nine feet tall with even more disgusting skin, huge teeth and huge claws, as well as muscles atop muscles wherever muscles can be. This humungous ogre looks down at the guards, and smiles. They all look frightened out of their minds, but one of them bravely swings his sword at the monster. However, the sword bends upon contact with that now-impenetrable skin, and Disney picks the guard up and crushes him in its fist, turning him into a pool of pink/red paste. The others scream and try to escape, but Disney's arm suddenly stretches and shuts the door, locking them in. They look up at the giant beast, and it smiles, before transforming once more. This time, into a bigger-than-giant serpent; it gathers all the guards in its tree trunk of a tail. It squeezes, killing them all almost instantly, and proceeds to devour them using the elephant's trunk it's suddenly grown. When it's done, it shrinks back down into its normal troll form, and continues robbing the wiki blind.  
DisneyMeerkats is seen emerging from the wiki's palace a while later, where Reginafan2626 is waiting for it. "How's the haul?" the Evil Bureau asks. "Our best yet," Disney tells him. "Oh, my little troll," Reginafan says, "You truly are magnificent." Disney smiles.

As does Valentina as she leads Joe into the back room of the town hall, filled with stacks of chairs and the like for things such as presentations and town meetings. "What is it you needed to show me?" Joe asks confused. Valentina then spills the glass of wine down her dress, and smashes said glass over her head, getting broken bits in her hair. "What are you doing?!" Joe exclaims, not knowing what on Earth is going on. "Isn't it obvious?" she asks, tearing the seams of her dress, "I'm getting attacked." "Wha—" She begins ruffling up her hair, cutting her hands on the small bits of glass as she does so and wiping the blood off in obvious areas. "Stop it!" he exclaims. "Hey, that's supposed to be my line," she jokes. He approaches her, but she continues wrecking her dress. He grabs her arms and holds them down by her sides. "You bruised my wrist!" she exclaims, "Why thank you." She then wriggles free and slaps him across the face, running from the room and into the party. She screams with absolute horror. The music stops, and everyone in attendance stares in confusion. Joe then emerges from the same room, and Val points at him with a scream, pretending to collapse in shock. Everyone gasps and wonders what's going on. "He… he attacked me!" she yells, tears streaming from her eyes, "He… he tried to rape me!" The gasps grow louder now, and everyone begins chattering. "I should've known it was coming!" she continues, "He's been threatening to do so ever since he arrived… and… and… he's been spying on me as I get changed… and… and… and tonight he tried to force me into submission!" The whole crowd is stunned, except for Joanna, who strokes her chin with curiosity. "This is absolutely ridic—" Joe tries, but Valentina screams again, cutting him off, begging for someone to get that monster away from her. The Mayor admires her showmanship. "Sheriff Knight!" Josh calls, stepping out, "Arrest this man!" he points at Joe. Liz, dressed up for the evening, is forced to reluctantly grab Joe's hands and place them behind his back. "I'm sorry," she whispers in his ear, "I've got no choice." And she proceeds to read him his Miranda rights.

Joe is next seen being locked up in a dingy cell in the Sheriff's Station, the same one Renato Smith was recently locked up in after being accused of kidnapping Justine King. "Liz, this is a mistake, I did not _rape_ Valentina!" Joe exclaims. "I know that," Liz says, "But I have to play by the book if you're to have any chance of being freed." "You know what a worm that bitch is," he adds, and Liz says she does – and that's how she knows she staged the whole thing; "If there's one person I wouldn't put something like this past, it's Valentina Cunning." He nods, and Liz tells him, "But for now… I'm afraid you're stuck here." Behind bars, Joe appears desolate.


	6. The Wiki Witch

**The Wiki Witch**

A little girl with deep red hair is seen being tucked into bed by her mother, Belle Lover, who dresses similarly to the adult DeviousPeep. "Mommy," says young Peep, "Will you read me a bed time story?" "Well of course, sweetheart," BelleLover replies, extending her arm and making a chair appear from downstairs with magic; she sits in it, and her daughter asks if she'll be needing a book. "Oh no, I don't need a book for _this_ story – I know it off by heart, as do you." "Yay!" Peep exclaims, "This is my favorite." Her mother strokes her hair as it rests down on the pillow, and she prepares to speak: "Once upon a time, there was a coven of witches living on a far off land known as Earth. However, the local villagers didn't respond well to their glorious spells and experiments. They found it… ungodly. They would kill one of the witches and the witches would kill one of them; it was a messy blood feud. Anyway, one day, the villagers lured the witches into a vicious trap. Under the pretence of a truce, they used the limited technology of their era to trap the witches, making sure they could never get back to Earth again. That technology, of course, later evolved into what the mortals refer to as the internet, but this is how we ended up in the land we're in now. We can travel between them, of course, with relative ease… but getting back to Earth is a whole other matter. That's why we've been developing our magic for the centuries we've been trapped here. I am stronger than my mother before me, and she was stronger than her mother, and one day, my little Peep, you will be one of the most powerful witches that ever lived." Peep smiles. "One day," Belle continues, "Our magic will be strong enough to return to that realm, and then our true work will begin. We will take our revenge on the mortals, and we shall enslave them. We shall rule over them forevermore, as is our birthright." "Mommy," Peep says, putting her hand on Belle's, "I promise, I'm gonna make it back to Earth. I don't care how long it takes; I will fulfil our legacy." Belle smiles, and tells her daughter to keep dreaming; she gives her a kiss on the forehead, ceases any light with her magic, and melts into a puddle of blood in order to exit the room. Peep uses her own magic to restore some of the light, and she vows to herself, "I _will_ make it back to Earth. I _will_!"

Joanna Seer stands firmly in Our World as she approaches Josh King's mayoral office; she knocks on the door, and Josh answers. She barges in without so much as a welcome, ignoring Valentina, who sits at her desk, and states outright, "I know this whole sexual harassment debacle is a sham." "Excuse me?" says Josh. "Your PA, I know Joseph Kahn never tried to rape her. But what I'd like to know is what your reasons are behind framing him. I have a theory, but I daren't say it out loud," she says. "How dare you?!" Val exclaims, standing up, ""I have gone through a very deep and personal trau—" "Yes, yes, dear. Hush," Joanna says, raising a hand, and Val finds herself sitting back down, "And, may I just say, your acting was rather extravagant – but it was just that, wasn't it? Acting." Val doesn't reply, and Joanna turns back to Josh. "That's enough," he says, "You cannot just barge in here and start accu—" "I've always been able to tell when you're lying," she says. Josh looks confused, "We hardly know each other, Nurse Seer." She laughs, "Of course, of course… but still… the longer I stand here the more I think my theory is correct." She begins to leave, but before she does, she turns to Josh and whispers, "Oh, and regarding Joseph Kahn, nice to know you know who he is." Josh looks irked, and Joanna leaves, blowing the Mayor a kiss before she does so.

Justine and Ben are seen in their apartment as the latter says, "Crazy night last night, huh?" Justine can barely hear him; she's too busy picturing the face of Renato Smith, who she met the previous day. "Justine," Ben nudges, and she turns to him, saying "Yeah… sure was." "So… the wedding is _really_ soon now." Again, Justine doesn't listen, simply smiles and nods, dreaming of the handsome stranger. "I just want you to know," her fiancé continues, "I really do love you, Justine." He puts his hand on hers, which suddenly watches her attention. She turns to him, as though seeing him for the first time that morning, and pauses. After a while, she comes out with, "Yes… the wedding _is_ very soon." She walks away.

"This is so humiliating, I'm innocent," Joe is heard saying as he sits on the bed of his dingy cell. "So you keep saying," Liz points out, "But, unfortunately, they don't let people out of jail because they say 'I didn't do it'." "Well, what evidence do you even have besides Valentina Cunning's word on the matter?" Joe wonders, to which Liz pulls out a piece of paper, explaining that Val faxed over the emails he allegedly sent her that morning – "It's your address. I remember from the day you arrived," she adds, allowing him to read them. "I never sent any of these," Joe proclaims, "Can't she have just typed these up and printed them out?" "She could have, yes, but right now they're evidence," Liz tells him. "At the party, didn't she also mention photos or something?" Joe asks. "She did, yes, and that's why I'm heading to your apartment now to search for them – if they can't be found then her case is automatically weakened. But I have to be thorough," she tells him. "I don't care if you're thorough or not," Joe says, "I haven't been perving on that bitch." "Alright," Liz says, "Well, I'm gonna go now." She leaves the Sheriff's Station, and Joe continues wallowing in self-pity, however, he then hears footprints entering the station. "Forget something?" he asks Liz, but when he looks up, he sees that it's in fact Joanna Seer. "Oh, I never forget a thing," she says as she approaches his cell, and Joe finds himself standing up. "Nurse Seer… what are you doing here?" he wonders. "Did I ever tell you that I have a legal degree?" Joanna starts, and Joe shakes his head; she continues, "In college, I majored in both law and medicine – I was such a busy girl. Anyway, I'm here to offer you my services as a lawyer." "Really? That's great," Joe says, "Um… what's your fee?" "Oh, I don't have one. This is completely free of charge," she assures him. Joe looks unsure, and asks, "What's the catch?" "No catch," she says, "For you see… I hate the Mayor. Despise him, you might say. And I'm certain beyond certainty that he's the one behind all of this. So, I'm going to help you for free because I know that you walking free will really stick in his craw." "Well, according to the accusations, I stuck it in Val's. But it's all lies. I watched her attack herself last night." "I believe you… and I promise to do my very best to help you out here," she says. "Do you have any credentials or anything?" Joe wonders, to which the nurse replies, "Let's just say this won't be the first time I've helped someone out of a jail cell." Joe smiles, "Well, thank you. For whatever it is you can do for me." She smiles."Oh, I think you'll find I can do an awful lot…"

"Mother! Mother, I've done it!" DeviousPeep yells, running into her mother's magic laboratory. However, she is shocked to find BelleLover lying on the floor looking weak; Peep rushes to her aid, asking her mother what happened. "I was… experimenting... with magic… but it went wrong," Belle explains, but Peep doesn't understand. "I'm dying, sweetheart," Belle states, "I don't have much time left." "No, no, mother, you can't die! I'd finally done… I'd found a way to make it back to Earth. So… so you can't go yet! You have to come with me!" Tears stream from the Blood Wiccan's eyes. "Alas," Belle says weakly, "Irony is a cruel mistress." Peep holds her mother's hand and cries. "Well, aren't you going to tell me how?" Belle asks, "Indulge a dying woman." Peep nods and retrieves a scroll from upstairs with her magic, unrolling it and showing it to her mother. "I need a hair from both my mother and my father for it to work. Can… can you tell me who my father is?" Peep requests. "I… don't know much about him… just that he lives in the Wiksteria Lane Wiki…" she coughs blood. "There's a letter… from him… in my night stand." Her voice grows weaker and fainter. She grips her daughter's hand tightly, "Do it, my child… fulfil the legacy." Peep nods as her mother's head falls back and her eyes close; she is dead. "I promise, mother," Peep says, unable to keep her tears in. She proceeds to pluck a hair from the head of her mother's corpse. When it's safely enclosed in a flask, she pokes her mother's belly and the dead body is set alight. Peep cries as she watches her mother burn, and she stands there until there's nothing left but a pile of ash. She keeps the flask of hair on her person as she melts into blood and flows her way upstairs, to BelleLover's bedroom. She opens the drawer to the nightstand and finds the letter from her father. She takes it out, wipes her eyes for tears, and reads.

Joanna reads the emails that Val faxed over and, when she's done, she comments, "These _are_ pretty incriminating. One _would_ think you were a rapist after saying… 'I want to… _bleep_ you, you _bleepy_ little… _bleep'_." "Yes, I'm well aware," Joe tells her, and Joanna gets an idea. "Would you mind if I log onto your email account, just to confirm that you sent these?" she asks, and Joe tells her to go ahead, revealing both his email address and his password. She uses the Sheriff's Station's computer in order to log on, but she soon turns the monitor around, revealing a blank, blue screen. "Is this familiar?" she asks, and Joe's eyes widen, "That's the screen I always get when my online accounts vanish out of the blue." "Interesting…" says Joanna, "So there's no actual email account to speak of… the one in the print outs doesn't exist." She searches it online, "And, by the looks of it, never existed. Well, that must mean the emails on that slip of paper are faked. Oh, dear." Joe smiles, "At last, the internet's rejection of me has come in handy!" "Not to mention me," Joanna adds, and Joe nods, "Yes. Thank you, Nurse Seer." "Please," she says, "Call me Joanna." "Um… thank you, Joanna," he amends himself, and she smiles.

Liz knocks on the door to Rena's apartment and he answers. He says he's been expecting her, and she explains she's there to search for the photographs of Valentina Cunning that Joe allegedly took. Rena points out Joe's bedroom, saying that that's probably the best place to start, and Liz thanks him, heading inside. She begins searching through drawers and things, finding nothing, but it doesn't take her long to think to look beneath the mattress, where she finds several photographs of Val as she gets undressed in her bedroom. She flicks through them and sighs sadly.

Joanna and Joe are still smiling at the Sheriff's Station when Liz enters with the photos in tow. "Hey, Liz," Joe says, "We have a way to prove that the emails are faked." "What about these?" she wonders, slamming the photographs down on the nearest surface. "These don't mean much," says Jo, picking them up and flicking through them, "If Miss Cunning can fake emails, she can fake photographs too." "I found them under Joe's mattress," Liz points out, to which the nurse says, "Well, that might be a tad harder to disprove. Still, we just need a way of finding out where these photographs really came from."

"Time to find out where you came from," DeviousPeep says, holding her father's letter in one hand and a bottle of liquid in the other; she's standing in the vast ghetto that is the Wiksteria Lane Wiki. "A little locator spell ought to do the trick," she says to herself, uncorking the bottle and tipping a small amount of liquid onto the parchment. The letter then begins to levitate, and Peep follows it all the way to the door of a dingy template on a portal corner. She snatches the letter back and stuffs that and the potion into a little pouch on her waistband. She tries opening the door, but it won't budge, so she runs her hand across its surface and it unlocks with a distinctive _click_ ; it then swings open with ease and Peep swaggers inside. She looks around the confined space and sees no one inside, sighing and saying to herself that the potion must have been faulty. However, just as she's about to leave, she turns back around and has her attention caught by a red armchair. Everything in the little template is caked with filth, except for that armchair, which is spick and span. Peep approaches it, walking with eerie grace, as she does, and gives it a little poke with her finger. Suddenly, the armchair takes the form of a greying man, who falls flat on his rear. He howls in pain, and Peep smiles. "Nice trick, father. A warlock, I take it?" He stares at her with squinted eyes, "You're the first person I've seen in years, ever since I left the magic gig." He stands up feebly, and then asks, "Did you just address me as 'father'?" "That I did," says Peep, "You're James 1234, am I right? Well, I'm DeviousPeep; I'm BelleLover's daughter. And yours, apparently. Now, hold still, I need to pluck a hair from your grey little head." And with that, she lunges a hand forward, however, James 1234 suddenly disappears, reappearing at the other side of the room. "What do you need my hair for?" he demands, to which she sighs and explains, "I've formulated a spell that should allow me to get to Earth, but, in order to complete it, I need a hair from both my mother and my father." "And where is your mother?" James asks. Peep pauses, before admitting (to him and herself), "She's dead." James looks shocked; desolate, and Peep takes this moment of weakness to pluck a hair from his head. "Thank you," she says, and he looks at her with irritation in his eyes. "May I have a look at this spell of yours?" he asks, and Peep doesn't see why not, taking a rolled-up scroll from betwixt her cleavage and handing it to her father. He unrolls it and reads, laughing to himself. "This won't work," he tells her, and Peep wonders what he means. "In order for this to work, the person being transported needs a great deal of raw magic to reside within them which, sadly, us witches and warlocks do not possess. Feel free to try it, if you like, but it's going to fail." She looks angry and snatches the scroll back. "If there's one thing you need to know about me, father, it's this: I never fail." And with that, she melts into blood.

Blood drips from Rena's finger after he accidentally receives a splinter from the bar in The Sword and Hammer. He manages to get it out, proceeding to put his bleeding fingertip to his mouth, when his father emerges and asks his son if he's free this weekend. "Why?" Rena asks, "What's this weekend?" "The Mayor's daughter's wedding," Tiago reminds him, "We've been asked to tend bar again. You in?" "Um… I'm not sure," Rena replies, and Tiago tells him he better make his mind up soon, for there isn't a lot of time left. "No…" Rena utters, "No, there isn't."  
Rena is seen entering Justine's apartment building ascending the stairs as he mutters to himself all the things he's planning on saying. "Don't get married," he prepares, "I love you." He continues muttering until he finds himself around the corner from Justine's actual apartment. However, the door opens and Ben steps out, and so Rena hides. "And you _are_ excited about the wedding?" Ben is heard asking. Justine rolls her eyes, deciding to humor her fiancé convincingly, telling him, "Yes, Ben. I am _very_ excited to be married to you." From around the corner, Rena hears this, and he walks away, looking crushed.

Joanna is seen exiting the Sheriff's Station and removes something from her purse as she goes – the collection of photos that Liz found beneath Joe's mattress. As she holds them, they set alight and begin turning to ash. Joanna smiles casually at the flames.

A fire roars in DeviousPeep's magic laboratory and the Blood Wiccan throws her father's hair into the vat of flaming ingredients. She smiles and steps into the circle of magical symbols she carved on the floor in chalk. She grabs her spell book and begins reading, her body covered in more symbols, written in blood, and she smiles as the symbols on both her body and on the floor begin to light up as she continues reading in an unknown language. However, their light soon dulls and nothing happens, and Peep looks utterly disappointed. "No… NO!" she rages, throwing her spell book across the room and putting the fire out with a wave of her hand. "What can I be missing… what can be missing?!" She then begins storming through her bookshelf, looking through all manner of various spells and potions, but she denotes it as all being useless crap. Suddenly, a book falls from the highest shelf and hits Peep on the head on the way down. She looks dazed and confused and picks the book up, reading its subject from the cover. "Viruses?" she says aloud, and begins flicking through. We see various different types, none of which are able to do what Peep wants them to do. Soon, she comes across a series of blank pages, which she realizes must be hidden by magic. She places the book on a nearby surface and places her hand over it, remembering what her mother said about her being more powerful than all her ancestors. She keeps her hand hovered over the book for a long while, and eventually, words fill the blank pages. Peep smiles deviously and begins reading up on the Virus to end all Viruses. She smiles at the effects, liking what she sees, but then reads aloud; "'Disintegrates witches upon contact', great." She throws the book to the floor, but a sudden thought occurs to her. "Although… I could get someone else with magic to enact it…" She picks the book back up and begins reading again. She turns the page. "Ooh, a prophecy," she says, and reads aloud the fact that only the descendant of the two most powerful bloodlines would be able to end the Virus' effects. Her devious smile returns.

As does Joanna's as she knocks on the door of Dr. Brad Sonya; he answers. "Hi," she says, "I need a patsy." And with that, her hand glows blue and she taps the therapist's forehead with it. His eyes begin glowing the same color.

"Damn it," Liz says in the Sheriff's Station, "I can't find the photos." "Oh, no," says Joe monotonically, "What a travesty." "Well it will be when I'm accused of hiding evidence," Liz points out, but before she can stress further, Dr. Brad Sonya is seen entering the Sheriff's Station. "Dr. Sonya," Liz says, confused, "What are you doing here?" The therapist speaks with no particular expression, and tells the sheriff, "I'm here to make a confession: I am the one who tried to rape Valentina Cunning." "What?!" Liz and Joe both exclaim in unison, and the mind-controlled Brad continues, "It was me who faxed you the fake emails this morning, and it was I who took the photographs of her as she changed. I panicked that they might be found and so I broke into Mr. Kahn's apartment and hid them there. When I heard they had been found, I was worried they could get traced back to me so I sneaked in here and destroyed them." "Wait, I was here the whole—" Joe tries, but Brad continues, "On the night in question, I lured Valentina into a dark room and tried to rape her. Mr. Kahn walked in on us before I could succeed and I climbed out the window. He and Valentina then exited through the same door, so it looked as though he was the culprit, when in fact it was me. I can no longer live with the guilt." Liz is stunned, and turns to Joe, "Is this true?" He looks as though he's about to tell the truth for a second, but then he remembers how much he doesn't want to go to jail, "Yep. It all fits," he says. "Why didn't you tell me?" Liz wonders, and Joe defends himself by saying, "Like Dr. Sonya said, it was dark. I didn't know it was him." "Well… um… okay. Brad Sonya, you're under arrest… I guess." From the hallway, an eavesdropping Joanna smiles. She begins exiting the station, and as she does so, the shot fixes on the fire bell.

MaryPierceLopez is seen ringing the palace bells in flashback to announce the fact that Lady Junky is pregnant with Rena Charming's baby. The bells emanate out throughout the Wiki, and everyone is happy with the fact that they're to be gaining a new Administrator. Everyone except Peep, who sits in her laboratory, looking bored. A thought then occurs to her, and the Blood Wiccan gets hard at work. We see her searching through family trees and records, soon coming to the conclusion that both Rena and Lady are descended from the two most powerful bloodlines in history. "This is perfect," she says, "Their baby will be the one to deactivate the Virus and thus allow me to fulfil my legacy… but, he can't do that if he's a victim." She then remembers what her father said about the spell only working if one has enough raw magic inside of them, and she smiles. "I need to start re-gathering my ingredients… and get my hands on that baby." She begins walking with purpose.

Joanna walks into her apartment at the end of the day and closes the door behind her, however, almost immediately, someone is heard knocking. Joanna answers to Josh, who looks wrought with anger. "Can I help you?" the nurse asks, and the Mayor replies, "I know what happened and I know you're behind it, you little bitch!" He smacks her across the face and she rubs her red cheek. "Mr. Mayor!" she exclaims, "I don't know what you're—" "Oh, cut the crap, DeviousPeep!" he demands. " _What_ are you talking about?" Joanna demands, and Josh stares at her. "I know you remember… you must remember…" "Remember what?" "And if you don't… perhaps I can jog your memory." He raises his hands and begins trashing her apartment with magic. He moves things around and turns some of her possessions to dust. She pretends to look scared, but he then approaches her with a fireball, threatening to burn her where she stands. Just as he's about to touch down, however, she pushes at the air with her hands and what looks like red lightning surges through the Mayor, causing him to squeal in pain; the fire goes out. "Oh," she says, "It's coming back to me." She clicks her fingers and the red lightning ceases; her and Josh simply stare at one another. "How did you manage to retain your memories?" he wonders. "Your blood," she reminds him, "The blood of the enactor was a key ingredient in the potion I needed to take in order to enter this land with no new identity." "So for 21 years you've been what? Biding your time?" "In a way," she replies. "So… you needed your memories in this new land… and now we both have magic." "I take it that means we'll be staying out of each others' way?" she asks, and Josh nods, telling her, "I'll see you around… Nurse Seer." She smiles and says she's counting on it, and the Mayor proceeds to leave. Joanna looks round at the mess me made of her apartment and sighs, commenting that it will take forever to clean up, but she cares not, and casually makes her way across the wreckage and to the painting on the wall. She removes it and reveals a safe. After entering a certain combination, she opens it and reveals a whole horde of magical items to be inside; amongst which is a small jar containing a thick, black liquid. She takes this out and looks down at it with a smile, saying to herself, "The Bureaucrat may be Evil… but I'm Devious. And Devious is _never_ defeated."


	7. Untrue Love

**Untrue Love**

Villain fan, the Administrator of Lostpedia, is seen sitting on his throne as the first user of the day approaches. "You may approach," he tells the man, and the man bows, stepping forward. "Your majesty, if you don't mind my asking, where are the Bureaucrats?" "My parents are currently holidaying in Facebook," Villain tells him, "I shall be taking requests from the citizens today. What is it I can do for you?" "It's… my goats, sir." "What about your goats?" Villain wonders. "It's just… the pollution caused from the new sewage system has poisoned the grass of my land… my entire flock has died in just a few days," the man explains. "And what do you expect me to do about it?" Villain wonders, to which the man requests a reimbursement for the goats he lost and a new segment of land on which to farm. "The money in this Wiki is far too precious to be wasted on something as frivolous as goats, so here's what I'll do. From the kindness of my heart, I will offer you two goats – a male and a female – and from them you can start a new flock." "But… your majesty… without new land, these new goats will simply die." "Hey," says Villain, "It's not my problem if you're bad at your job. Next, please!" The farmer steps away and another two people step forward: a pair of old women. "You may approach," Villain tells them, and they do. "What appears to be the problem?" he wonders, and one of the old women, holding a valuable-looking necklace, says that the one beside her is a thief; "She tried to steal my necklace!" "That is not _her_ necklace; it is _my_ necklace!" the other old woman exclaims, "It was a family heirloom and _she_ stole it from _me_!" "Oh, stop your lies you old crone, I _made_ this with my own two hands!" The other one goes to argue, but Villain fan raises a hand, silencing them with a simple, "Ladies." He then asks them to allow him to look at the necklace, and the woman holding it hands it to the Administrator. "I understand the fuss, it's very nice," Villain says, proceeding to hand it to the Chat Moderator beside him and instruct, "Add it to the sysop treasury." The Chat Moderator nods and leaves, and Villain turns back to the two old women, telling them they can go now. They do so, looking disgusted, and Villain fan calls for the next user to approach. The next person we see is a beautiful young woman, who walks towards her ruler with a stern grace. "Your majesty," she says, "My name is InspiredAndNatural, and I'm a medic in the war against the Revolution Wiki." "Yes, I know of you," says Villain, "You're a highborn girl, aren't you? What are you doing tending to veterans?" "I _was_ a highborn, yes. Until I discovered my true calling. But I'm here today to discuss—" "From the Game of Thrones Wiki, yes? You're a long way from home," Villain points out. "That I am," says Inspired, "But I did not come here today for small talk. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to proceed with my request." Villain shrugs, gesturing her to continue, and she clears her throat, "The war being fought against the Revolution Wiki is causing far too many casualties," she says, and Villain asks what she suggests he do about it. "Withdraw the fighting," Inspired offers, "It's for a useless cause." "This war is being fought to decide who shall have ownership of the V Wiki," Villain points out, but Inspired points out in turn that the V Wiki is a barren scrap of land that certainly isn't worth the death it's causing. "And what would you know about war?" he asks, and she replies, "I'm on that battlefield every day tending to the wounds of friend and foe alike; I've patched up cuts, bumps, bruises; even amputated limbs – these people's deaths and wounds for such an… insignificant Wiki… it's ridiculous! I want an end to it." Villain rolls his eyes, and tells her, "We shall invest in thicker armor to reduce the risk of casualties." Inspired coughs and responds, with sarcasm biting her voice, "I'm sure that'll make all their deaths worth it in the end." She proceeds to exit the throne room with certain vigor, and the Administrator asks his royal aide what that woman's name was again. "InspiredAndNatural, sir," the royal aide replies, and Villain admires her memory, commenting to himself, "Certainly inspired…"

Ben wakes up alone in his apartment and immediately looks at the calendar hanging on the wall – that day's date is circled extravagantly with all the days before it crossed off. "Today's the day," he says, smiling and getting out of bed. He grabs his wedding tuxedo, which is hanging on the door, and spins away with it.

Meanwhile, Justine wakes up in her father's house when Josh walks in carrying a tray of breakfast foods. "Wakey wakey," he says, "Happy wedding day." Justine sits up, immediately having the tray dumped on her lap, and thanks her father for letting her stay there the previous night. "Of course, of course," he responds, "Don't mention it; I know how important it is for the bride not to see the groom before the wedding itself – now eat up; you've got a big day ahead of you. I'll be back soon, I just have a quick errand to run." Justine waves her father goodbye and sighs as she looks down at her breakfast, feeling in no mood to eat. "Yep," she says to herself miserably, "Big day…" She looks at her white dress hanging up in the open wardrobe and shudders with her whole body.

Ben is already fully dressed in his suit, staring at himself in the mirror and rehearsing his wedding vows, practicing the ways in which he could say, "I do." Suddenly, there is a knock at the door and Ben answers it to Josh, surprised to see him. "Mr. Mayor… what are you doing here?" he wonders, and Josh says, "I'm gonna level with you, Ben: Justine isn't nearly excited as she should be for this day." Ben sighs and says he knows, but that he hopes she'll perk up once they're actually man and wife, and Josh tells his future son-in-law that that's the spirit; "And there's a way you can make sure she does." "Oh?" asks Ben, and Josh tells him, "From this day forward, you really gotta be playing at you're A-game, you know? Be dashing, be gallant, be… _charming_." Ben nods and says, "Okay," and the Mayor goes to leave; before he does so, however, Ben stops him by adding, "Just so you know, Mr. Mayor… I really do love your daughter." "Oh, I know that," Josh assures him, "I made sure of it before you were engaged." The Mayor then exits, leaving the groom slightly confused.

Villain is singularly seated at a rather lavish sysop feast and asks his royal aide, "Where is she?" "She should be here any moment," the aide replies, and sure enough, InspiredAndNatural proceeds to enter the room. "You turned up," he says happily. "Well of course," she tells him, "It isn't everyday one receives a sysop summons – what is it, may I ask, was so urgent?"He clear his throat with a cough, gesturing the feast, and asks if she prefers chicken or fish, however, she looks shocked and disgusted; he wonders what's wrong. "You pulled me away from saving lives so that I could gorge myself on food that could be feeding the hundreds of hungry and homeless people in this Wiki?!" "I insist," he says, gesturing the empty seat, and she sighs, asking why she was called to see him. He smiles, and tells her he admires the way she told him off the other day, for not many people have the courage to do so. "It was my pleasure," she assures him, and he chuckles, admitting that, since then, he's become rather taken with her. She raises an eyebrow and tells him, "It will be a cold day in hell when I agree to be with the likes of you." "Please," he begs, "I've not been able to stop thinking about you. I'll do anything, please." "Anything, eh?" she asks, and he confirms it, asking in turn what it is she'd like for him to do. "Give this food to the people who direly need it… and come with me."  
Villain fan and InspiredAndNatural are next seen walking alongside a battlefield after a battle has taken place; fresh corpses and blood litter the ground, and medics are seen tending to wounded fighters. "Not exactly the setting I had in mind for a dream date," he says, and Inspired tells him, "I wanted for you to see what it was like. What your parents are causing." "Oh?" he sees, "And what would you do in their stead? If we give up, the other wikis would see us as weak and then try to invade, which would mean even more fighting and even more death." "The best way to end a war is never to go to war in the first place," Inspired tells him, but Villain fan points out that it's a little too late for that; "So, what would you do?" She pauses, "Well, for starters, I'd invest in that thicker armor you were talking about." Villain smiles, but the moment is cut short by one of the medics calling out for Inspired. She rushes over and sees that her comrade is having trouble resuscitating a man, who's still breathing but barely. Inspired steps in, performing CPR, and Villain finds her amazing as she tries her very best to save the soldier's live. However, she ultimately fails and the man dies in her arms. And for the first time, looking down at this fighter as the light leaves his eyes, Villain fan becomes aware of the true horrors this meaningless war has been causing.

Ben is seen standing in the church, watching happily as all the final preparations are made for the wedding, and he's soon approached by a woman with the same face as InspiredAndNatural. "Hi," she says, "I'm Kristi. Kristi Jekyll. I'm a member of the wedding band. You're the groom, I take it?" Ben takes one look at the girl and immediately becomes taken with her, going on to ask if she's there with anyone. "Um, no," she assures him, "I'm quite single." "Oh… I find that hard to believe," he says, and she appears flattered, thanking him. "Enjoy the wedding," he adds, to which she replies, "Enjoy getting married." He looks deep into her eyes and says, "I'll… um… I'll try."

Joe is seen answering the door of his and Rena's apartment to Liz, who's wearing a gorgeous dress and appears rather fetching. "Wow," he says, and Liz smiles. "I take it that 'wow' is in reference to this amazing dress? I don't wanna brag, but, it's not even padded." Joe takes it she's to be attending the wedding and she nods; he's surprised she's been invited, to which she replies that nearly the whole town is attending. "In fact," she goes on to say, "I checked plus one… and I'd like you to… be it." "Well, I'd love to, but I don't even have a tux," he points out, at which point Liz reveals she's holding one on a hanger, having kept one arm hidden behind the doorframe the whole time. "Wow," Joe says again, taking the tux and wondering how the sheriff knew his sizes. "I told you when we met," she reminds him, "I notice things." He smiles and says he's going to go get changed, proceeding to his bedroom, and Rena then exits his. "Hey, Renato," Liz greets, and he gives a slight wave, looking miserable. "Are you coming to the wedding?" she wonders, but he stares at her blankly and replies, "No… no, I'm not."

Ben is seen walking through the church grounds with Kristi, who asks if it's okay for him to be doing this. "Oh, I arrived early," he assures her, "The wedding isn't for quite a while." "You must be excited to be getting married," she points out, "As must your bride." Ben mutters something to himself, and Kristi soon asks, "What's she like?" "Justine?" says Ben, "Oh, she's… beautiful. Funny. Smart. Everything I could want in a woman." Kristi nods, and Ben adds, "As are you." He then blushes, realizing what an awkward thing that is to say to someone, but she simply thanks him, saying he's a very dashing man and adding that she'd probably ask him out were he not about to get wed. "What if I weren't?" he asks, but she wonders what he means. "Never mind," he tells her, and they continue their little stroll. "Kristi," he soon says, "Do you believe in past lives?" "As a matter of fact, I do," she admits, "Why?" "It's just… I can't shake this feeling that I've known you before." She smiles, and says she feels exactly the same way.

In the palace gardens of Lostpedia, Inspired is approached by Villain as she asks why he wanted to meet her. He tells her, "I've really grown fond of you these past few months… you've managed to… to _change_ me, and bring me out of my shell. You even allowed me to bring an end to the war. In fact, InspiredAndNatural… I'd go as far as to say that I love you." "Oh, Villain," she says, "I love you too." He then gets down on one knee and takes out a diamond ring, asking if she'll do him the honor of being his wife. Inspired looks shocked, pointing out that Villain's parents don't even know about the two of them yet, but he doesn't care, proclaiming that he loves her and needs to be with her; "I have to marry you as soon as possible. I'd even run away with you if the situation called for it… I'd do absolutely anything for you." Tears of joy stream from her eyes and she accepts, allowing the ring to be slipped on her finger and kissing her new fiancé with passion.  
Villain fan is next seen entering the palace itself, looking rather happy, when he is approached by his royal aide. "Master Villain," he says, "Your parents would like to see you." "Why?" Villain wonders, and the aide explains that he made quite the impression on Reginafan2626 at the recent ball; "Apparently, if all goes well, you could soon be marrying his daughter." Villain looks incredibly glum at this news.

Ben and Kristi are seen conversing in his dressing room, talking rather intimately and staring into each others' eyes, but Josh soon walks in to see how the groom is doing and appears utterly shocked to be in the presence of Kristi. "Ben…" the Mayor says, and Kristi insists she was just leaving, standing up and telling Ben it was lovely to meet him, before leaving the room, and Ben looks utterly disappointed. "Are you ready?" Josh then asks, and Ben sighs before replying, "As ready as I'll ever be." Josh goes to leave, but before he does, he turns to Ben and looks straight into his eyes, palcing one hand on the groom's shoulder. "I want you to forget about that girl you just saw," Josh says, and Ben monotonically replies, "I will forget about the girl I just saw." Josh then says, "You are excited about marrying my daughter, because you love her and you want to be with her forever." "I am very excited about marrying your daughter, because I love her and want to be with her forever." "Good boy," Josh says, removing his hand and clicking his fingers, and Ben snaps out of it. "Are you ready?" Josh asks again. "Are you kidding? Let's do this! I can't wait…" he says happily, and Josh smiles, saying he's glad to hear it. He then leaves the room and catches up with Kristi, who was walking away slowly. He grabs her in the church garden and pins her up to the wall by her throat. "What are you doing, you little bitch?!" he screams in her face, but she simply smiles, asking what it is he means. "Don't think I can't tell who you are!" Josh exclaims, turning a hand and making "Kristi" resume her true form – Joanna Seer. "How did you do that?" the Mayor wonders, continuing to throttle her. "Dr. Sonya," Joanna explains, "I absorbed a little bit of magic when I took control of him. Not much, mind you, but enough to pull off that little disguise. Pretty convincing, don't you think?" "Why are you trying to ruin this wedding?" Josh wonders, and Joanna tells him it's payback for trashing her apartment the other day – which she did _not_ appreciate in the slightest. "Well, you've been foiled now, so…" Josh points out, but Joanna says she wouldn't be so sure. The Mayor wonders what she means, and the nurse explains, "This wedding's been doomed from the start… it's only a matter of time before it ruins itself."

Justine, dressed in her beautiful white wedding gown, stares at herself in the mirror, looking solemn within the confines of her dressing room. Soon, Natalia, in a nice, formal dress, enters accidentally, apologizing immediately and saying she was looking for an exit in order to gain some fresh air, but Justine assures her that it's okay. "Are… are _you_ okay?" Natalia wonders, noticing that something's up. "No," Justine immediately admits, "I… I _really_ don't wanna get married." Natalia looks sympathetic and pulls up a chair beside the blushing bride. "It's just…" Justine continues, "My father is _so_ controlling." "I kinda figured, what with him being the E… enigmatic man that he is," Natalia tells her. Justine nods, bursting into tears. "He is," she says, "He is… and because of him… I'm going to be trapped in a loveless marriage." Her tears become worse and Natalia hugs the beautiful blonde.  
In a flashback, we see MaryPierceLopez holding Lady Junky as she cries. "Father wants me to meet and marry this Villain fan… but how can I marry him when I love Rena Charming?" she says, and Mary continues hugging her in a comforting manner, assuring her that everything's going to work out for the best. "How can you be so sure?" Lady wonders, and Mary tells her she just knows. "Thank you," Lady says, "I've never known a maid as nice as you." "Well, you were so kind to me when I first arrived here… I owe you so much," Mary points out, continuing to hold her friend.  
"You're not going to be trapped in a loveless marriage," Natalia tells Justine, "Because I won't let you. I have a plan."

Ben is seen making his way to the altar and passes Josh, who's on his way to fetch Justine in order to walk her down the aisle. "Are you ready?" Josh asks. "You keep asking that," Ben points out, but the Mayor says he just wants to be sure; it's not every day his little girl gets married. Ben nods and says he can't wait to be married to Justine; "I love her… really, I do." "That you do, Ben," Josh nods, "That you do."

"Reginafan2626, I'm sorry, but I can _not_ be with your daughter!" Villain fan is heard exclaiming in the Once Upon a Time Wiki's throne room. "Excuse me?" Reginafan asks, and Villain fan says that he has no intention of marrying Lady. Reginafan wonders why not, and Villain explains that his heart belongs with another; a woman whom he loves very much; "In fact… we recently became engaged." "Is that so?" Reginafan asks, "I had no idea… you simply must accept my congratulations." "Um… thank you," says Villain, "You're taking this rather well." "How else would I take it?" Reginafan wonders, "You're in love, and that's fantastic. But may I just ask one, small favor?" "Of course," says Villain, "That should be fine." "Could you meet with Lady anyway? Just to… to let her down gently. Only, she's really excited about meeting you and…" "I understand completely, it's the least I could do," Villain fan agrees, and Reginafan thanks him for extending such courtesy. "Now tell me… just out of curiosity… this girl you're engaged to… what's her name?" Villain fan smiles and says, "InspiredAndNatural." The Evil Bureaucrat seems to find this interesting.  
"InspiredAndNatural?" Reginafan2626 is later heard saying, and the girl herself turns around to be faced with the Evil Bureau, standing there with her on Villain fan's balcony; he looks rather frightening, what with his black demeanor and large scythe. "Um, yes?" she replies, "What do you want… and how did you get here?" "That's not important," Reginafan assures her, "I'm here to discuss your fiancé, Villain fan." "Oh…" says Inspired, "No one's supposed to know of the engagement yet." "Don't worry," the Evil Bureau assures, "Your secret's safe with me." She smiles, feeling a bit safer, and explains that she was actually on her way to meet Villain right now; "So, if you'll excuse me?" "Oh dear… no, you're not. In fact, you're staying _exactly_ where you are," he tells her, using his magic to glue her to the spot; she tries to move and fails. "So," he says, "If _you'll_ excuse _me_?" She screams and he swings his scythe.

The church doors swing open and Josh enters with Justine on his arm; her veil covers her face and hair, and the two of them make their way steadily down the aisle, at the top of which, Ben is waiting joyously. They get about halfway down when, suddenly, Renato Smith bursts in and yells, "Stop the wedding!" Everyone stops and turns to him; gasps aplenty fill the room. "Justine," Rena announces, "I can't let you get married… I love you. I want to be with you. And I _know_ you don't truly love this man you're about to marry." He gets down on one knee, "I know that I don't have much to offer… I don't even have a ring, but… but I have love, and the need to spend the rest of my life with you. Justine King, will you marry me?" The gasps are even louder now. Everyone around the church is in a state of pure shock. Valentina Cunning gasps, Joe and Liz look confused at one another, and Josh seethes with pure rage. But this is nothing compared to what happens when "Justine" removes her veil and we see it's actually Natalia wearing that beautiful white dress. "I'm… um, I'm sorry," she tells Rena, who proceeds to leave the church in extreme awkwardness. From the altar, Ben watches heavily confused.

A desolate Villain fan is seen sitting across from Lady Junky as the two of them share their first meeting. Reginafan2626 watches through the keyhole, seeing how awkward the whole thing is going, and he walks away. The next we see of him, he is preparing two cups of tea and takes out a small bottle of pink liquid. "A little love potion should suffice," he says to himself, pouring it into one cup. He goes to pour it in the other, but his moral compass (as limited as it may be) prevents him from drugging his daughter, and so he just pours the rest into Villain's cup. He is then seen serving the two of them tea, breaking the horrible tension by entering th room, and the two of them soon drink it. When Villain drinks his, he takes one look at Lady Junky and becomes utterly enamored with her; the illusion of love ensues. The two teacups are zoomed in upon.

Two champagne glasses are held by Joe as he approaches Natalia, who's still wearing the white dress, sitting on the church steps. He sits beside her, handing her a glass, and she thanks him. "you really are a knock-out in that dress. White suits you," he assures her. Natalia smiles and says, "You should've seen the _actual_ bride in it." Joe chuckles, and proceeds to ask her why she did it. Natalia sighs and tells him she owed Lady Junky a favor, but Joe asks who the hell Lady Junky is. "That was her name in… the past world. We were friends." "Oh," says Joe, rolling his eyes, "'The past world'." "You know, she's actually your mother," Natalia tells him, and Joe looks surprised, "Really? Well, I'll be damned." "Yup," Natalia continues, "and that boy who ran in confessing his love for her? That was Rena Charming: your father." Joe's eyes widen even more at this reveal than the first, and Natalia tells him, "One day, you'll believe me." "Sure I will," Joe humors her, going on to ask, "So, with you being such 'good friends' with… my mother; do you have any idea where she might be now?" Natalia shakes her head, sipping her champagne, "Nope… none."  
Justine, in Natalia's dress, is seen driving her car speedily through Storywik. She soon comes up to a sign which reads _Leaving Storywik_ , but the closer she gets, the faster she moves, and soon enough, a deer runs into the road. Justine screams and swerves to avoid it, but this causes the car to violently roll off into the wooded area surrounding the road. It catches fire, miraculously not harming the trees around it, and from within the grisly wreckage, no screams are heard.


	8. Grass Cut Thin

**Grass Cut Thin**

A heavily injured Justine is seen being rushed through hospital by a team of doctors and nurses, who go on to prep her for surgery. One of the nurses disperses and heads to the nurses' station, where Joanna is standing, watching all of this as it happens. "Hey, do you know who Justine King's in case of emergency person is?" the nurse asks, and Joanna nods, replying, "Her father."

Reginafan2626 is seen cutting grass in flashback with his scythe; he is dressed poorly and looks younger and more unkempt than we've ever seen him before. Soon, the two Bureaucrats of the Once Upon a Time Wiki – DocMD and Trae209 – stroll pass and summon their gardener to their side. Reginafan goes to them, and ask them what's wrong. DocMD asks him his name, and Reginafan replies, "The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors, your majesty. I've… worked here for the last six years." "A bit wordy, isn't it?" Doc asks, "Could I simply address you as Night?" "Yes," he says, "As I've told you every time we've talked… ever." She scoffs, saying she hardly remembers her interactions with the help; "Now drop the insolence, if you please." "Yes, your majesty," Night obeys, "What can I do for you?" "You missed a large patch of grass over there," she points, "It made our afternoon stroll positively ghastly. Now, if you don't mind, go fix it. We tend not to keep around people who aren't good at their jobs." "Of course," Night says, smiling fakely, "Enjoy your stroll." "Thank you," says Trae, but Doc raises a hand to her husband, telling him not to bother. The two Bureaucrats continue on and Night rolls his eyes, making his way to the patch of grass to which they were referring (which is actually rather small). He begins swiping at it with his scythe, and asks a nearby Chat Moderator why the Bureaucrats always act like he's just shoved his scythe up their backsides. "Nah, you gotta cut them some slack; their son's really sick," the Chat Mod points out. "Reginafan2626 has _always_ been sick," Night points out, "The kingdom's never even seen their little Admin. They should just give up hope now and let him die before it gets more painful." The Chat Mod hears this and tells Night, "Try saying that when you have kids of your own." Night shrugs and continues swinging his side, thinly cutting any grass which gets in the way of the sharpened blade.

Josh is seen entering the hospital and immediately asks the nurse from earlier where his daughter is. "Sir," she says, "Justine is currently in surgery. She had a number of broken bones and a ruptured lung." "Well… is she gonna be okay?" the Mayor demands, to which the nurse says, "Right now, I'm afraid all we can do is hope for the best." Josh nods and turns his head, spotting Joanna smiling at the nurses' station. She quickly covers her face with a clipboard and disappears round the corner.

Joe and Liz are seen entering the former's apartment, laughing with one another. "Where have you guys been?" Rena asks, seeming hysteric; and Joe explains that the two of them had such a good time at the wedding reception – "Although, I guess it was only really a party" – that they went to a club downtown for a couple of drinks. "You mean… you haven't heard what happened?" Rena asks, and Liz proceeds to ask him what the matter is. Rena explains that Justine's in the hospital after having been in a serious car accident, and Liz and Joe appear shocked. "Is she gonna be okay?" Joe wonders, but Rena shrugs, saying he doesn't know; "I can't go down there after what happened… the Mayor would slaughter me on sight." "That's true," Joe nods, "So… why don't I go down there for you and see what the deal is? Then I can call you up and tell you." "You'd do that?" Rena asks, and Joe nods, saying, "Of course; I'll be back soon." He leaves, shutting the door behind him, and Liz stays behind to comfort Rena.

Back in hospital, Josh sits at Justine's bedside after her surgery as the blonde remains unconscious. Joanna then walks in and tells the Mayor, "The doctors don't know when she might come out of the coma; could be tomorrow, could be in a year." Josh nods, saying he's already heard all that, but doesn't take his eyes off his daughter. He then asks Joanna what she's doing there. The redhead smiles and explains, "I'm here to make sure you've figured it out." "Figured what out?" Josh wonders, and Joanna takes relish in telling him, "You're the reason behind this. It was the Virus you enacted that caused her car to crash – it's designed to keep people in. So this could all be counted as your fault even if you hadn't forced her into a wedding she wanted no part in." This urges Josh to stand up angrily and square up to the nurse, drawing himself up to his full height. "Go ahead," Joanna tells him, "Hurting me won't wake your daughter up – but your pain over _that_ , well, that _will_ provide me with great joy." Josh looks down at her and simply says, "Leave." Joanna tuts and asks him, "How _did_ you become _so_ rude?"

In flashback, Night is seen trimming the palace hedges with a rather large pair of shears when, suddenly, he hears the sound of screaming. He follows the noise along the hedge and soon realizes it's coming from a huge Venus flytrap hiding in the bushes. From within it Night sees a glow, and he quickly uses the sheers to cut off the plant's head. It falls to the floor and opens up, revealing a small blonde fairy dressed in green to have been inside. She flies up and makes herself grow to Night's size, tucking her wings behind her back as she does so. "Why did you have to kill the plant?!" she exclaims, but Night is still amazed by her, asking in turn, "Are you… a member of Staff?" "That poor flytrap was an innocent life," she says, bending down to stroke its dead top."It was… about to kill you," Night points out, and the fairy nods, "But still… it's a sad loss." She then stands up and extends her arm, introducing herself as Trellar of the Community Wiki. "So you _are_ Staff?" Night asks again, and Trellar nods. Night apologizes for the plant, but she assures him it's okay; "Like you said, it was about to kill me. I guess that means you saved my life… I owe you." Night smiles, and introduces _himself_ , "I'm The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors… but you can call me Night." "It's nice to make your acquaintance," Trellar says, but as she looks at him, she recognizes something. "No way…" she utters. She quickly plucks a hair from his head and produces a flask of clear liquid in her hand with magic. She places the hair inside and it soon glows purple, "Oh, my God… it's true." "Um… what's true?" Night wonders, rubbing the spot on his head from which the hair was plucked. "You are descended from one of the two most powerfully magical bloodlines in history," she explains, and Night looks shocked, not believing it. "I'm just a gardener," he points out, but Trellar assures him he's much more than that; she holds up the bottle and tells him that her magic never lies. "How would you like to do it?" she then asks. "Do what?" "Magic, of course," she tells him, "That could be how I repay you for rescuing me. I could tutor you in the art." Night raises an intrigued eyebrow.

Josh's eyebrow is raised as he sits in Justine's room at the hospital and reaches for his cell phone. He closes the room's blinds and shuts the door so no doctors or nurses see or hear him, and he proceeds to dial. "Hello, Valentina? I need you to meet me at Storywik General. And… I need you to bring something."

Meanwhile, Joe enters the hospital and comes across Natalia trying and failing to retrieve coffee from a machine. He approaches and wonders what she's doing there, to which she reminds him that she and Justine were good friends back in the Once Upon a Time Wiki. "Right," Joe nods, "What exactly happened to her?" "She's just gone through surgery where they reset a couple of broken bones and patched up a ruptured lung. She's currently in a coma and they don't know when she's gonna wake up." "But, she's okay? She's gonna live?" Joe makes sure, and Natalia nods. "I better call Rena," Joe says, going for his cell phone, but Natalia points at a nearby sign which tells him cell phones aren't allowed. He slips it back into his pocket and suggests going outside then; "You look as though you could do with some fresh air." Natalia nods, smiling, and the two of them make their way through the halls together.

Outside, Valentina approaches Josh with something in her hand and wonders why she had to bring his skeleton keys to the hospital. "Because we're not staying at the hospital," Josh tells her, grabbing his keys, "Did you drive here?" "Yeah, why? Where are we going?" As they walk to her car, Josh tells his PA, "We need to pay a little visit to my vault."

Back in time, Trellar is seen handing Night a small, glass flask containing odd-looking leaves. "What are these for?... And what are they?" "Well, I figured teaching you magic isn't really a substantial gift, so… I got you a little something extra," she explains. "Oh… thanks. And again, what _are_ these exactly?" "Chewing on one of those leaves will save your life if your inches away from death. I grew them myself. They're very rich in magical properties, I was _very_ lucky that I was able to produce those. A dying breed of plant, sadly, so… be sure not to waste them." "Thank you, Trellar," Night says, smiling, and she smiles in turn, saying he's perfectly welcome. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Night wonders, and Trellar tells him that she's going to be teaching him how to master the element of fire. Night smiles and tells her that he's been practicing already, proceeding to produce a fireball in the palm of his hand. "Very good, Night!" Trellar exclaims, "You really are a natural at magic." The gardener smiles, making a fist to extinguish the flames.

Josh and Valentina are seen approaching the same ruined bakery in which Justine was held hostage in a long while ago. They go into the field behind it and walk up to the old storm cellar which is wrought with many padlocks and chains, keeping it inaccessible to the public. Josh takes the keys and uses certain ones to unlock the precautions, finally getting the door open after relinquishing seven padlocks. He begins to head inside, and Valentina starts following him, leading the Mayor to ask what it is she's doing. "I'm coming with you," she says, but Josh smiles and assures her, "It's in your best interest to stay here." "Why?" Val wonders, "When are you gonna tell me what's down there?" "One day," Josh tells her, "Perhaps. But for now, stay put. Is that clear?" "Yes," Valentina sighs, looking annoyed as she sits down on the grass with her arms folded. Josh proceeds down the steps, shutting the storm cellar door behind him, and ends up in a rather shabby-looking underground room. Cobwebs and dust cover every discernible surface, but the Mayor bends down and taps a particular part of the floor with his hand, causing a symbol from a magical language to light up and reveal a door in the floor. Josh opens it and heads down yet another flight of stairs, ending up in a much more extensive room which contains a wide range of magical ingredients, brought by him to Our World from the Wikia world that was. He rummages through his many items of power until finally he comes across the small flask of leaves given to him by Trellar. He looks down at them with a smile and says to himself, "Don't worry, Justine… daddy's gonna take care of you."

Trellar and Night are seen in another training session in flashback as the former tells her student what an amazing magician he's become during their time together; "I daresay you're even more skilled than me… I have nothing left to teach you." "Thank you for all the help you've given me," Night says, giving the fairy a hug before she bids him goodbye, turns small and flies away. Night watches her with a smile as he goes, and proceeds to get back to work. We see him cutting grass with his scythe when he's tapped on the shoulder by Trae209. Night turns to the Bureaucrat, seeing that DocMD is stood on a nearby pathway looking evil, and Trae tells the gardener that he's fired. "W-what?" Night asks, and Trae explains that the palace gardens have been looking dreadful for months; "You've clearly been neglecting your job." Night realizes that this is because of all the training sessions with Trellar he undertook, and tries to explain, but Trae accepts no excuses, telling his now former employee to be off the palace premises within the hour. He then retreats back to his wife, who gives Night a smug smile before the two of them walk away. Night watches them leave with a scowl on his face, and turns to the massive scythe in his hand.

Josh is seen sitting in the passenger seat of Valentina's car with the flask of leaves hidden away in his pocket. She tries asking him what he retrieved from his vault, clearly interested, but the Mayor simply tells her to keep driving and she'll probably find out soon enough. "All that matters is that Justine's gonna be okay." The car continues to the hospital.

Round the back of the hospital, Joe and Natalia are seen strolling through a garden-like area, exchanging small talk. "So, um, what exactly were you gonna do when you got to the end of the aisle?" Joe is heard saying, "Were you just gonna, like, marry Ben?" Natalia laughs and explains that she hadn't thought it all the way through; "All I was trying to do was buy Justine some time to get away." She then sighs with sadness, adding, "It's my fault she crashed her car." "No," Joe assures her, "You couldn't have known when you let her leave that she'd end up crashing." "Yes, I could've," Natalia says, "I could have guessed she'd try to leave town and I know what happens when people do that." "Why? What happens?" Joe wonders, to which Natalia replies, " _Bad things_. It's an effect of the Virus." Joe rolls his eyes and tells his friend, "A woman is in critical condition… can you not?" This makes Natalia very angry and she tells Joe, "Yeah? Well if you don't start taking me seriously soon, we're _all_ going to be in critical condition. And if you don't step up when the time comes… _we're all going to die_!" She storms away in a huff and Joe looks disappointed.

Ben is seen entering Justine's room as she lies there; completely unaware to anything that's happening around her. He pulls up a chair and sits at her bedside, placing his hand on hers and apologizing for what's happened. "When you get better… I'm going to propose again… and if you say yes… I promise that I will spend the rest of my life trying my best to make you the happiest woman alive… because I will be the happiest man… just… please _do_ live. I love you, Justine," he then stands up off the chair and kisses her gently on the forehead, proceeding to leave the room with tears in her eyes. When he's gone, Renato Smith is seen emerging from a hallway and entering the beautiful blonde's room. He sits down in the chair that Ben was sitting on and stares at his true love's unmoving face. Tears immediately begin welling up in his eyes, and he begins talking to the comatose Mayoress. "I wasn't gonna risk coming, but… when Joe called, I just had to see you." He places his hand on hers and continues, "I love you… and I know that's ridiculous, because we've barely ever talked, but… I really, truly love you. When I look at you, it's like nothing I've ever felt before. When I see your face… it's like… there's never anything I ever want to see in my whole life. Not like this, of course… I can't stand seeing you like this. If… if you… you know… I don't know if I'd have the strength to carry on. It's… it's like… like you're a _part_ of me, and if you go, then…" He struggles to continue, trying his best to fight back some serious tears. He wipes his eyes and stands up, looking down at that beautiful blonde face and telling her that he loves her yet again. He feels drawn to her, and suddenly, he finds himself planting a small kiss on her pale lips. He begins walking away, but as he does so, a voice emanates from behind him. "I love you, too…" Justine says weakly, as though she's not fully there, but she is most definitely awake. Quickly, a shocked Rena begins calling for a doctor, and a team of medical professionals – including Joanna – soon rush into the room in order to tend to the ill blonde. Rena watches as it looks like the woman he's head over heels for is going to be okay, but suddenly, Josh approaches with a flask of leaves in his hand. He looks through the room's window to see that his daughter's alright, but then he looks to the joyous bartender. He stares at Rena with pure hatred in his eyes.

The same look Night has as he looks down at the dead Bureaucrats in front of him, sitting at their lavish feast of a breakfast. DocMD's body remains firmly seated, as though it doesn't mind not having a head. Meanwhile, her head continues rolling across the floor, going past Night's feet as he struggles to dislodge his scythe from Trae209's back; the Bureaucrat's head is face-down in his food. Suddenly, a green fairy flies through the window and Trellar makes herself big. "Night! I sensed a serious dark energy—" She then takes a look at what's happened in front of her, and her face drops in shock. "How could you do such a thing?" she finds herself asking, and Night takes a break from trying to dislodge his scythe in order to reply, "When you spend your entire life being demeaned and abused… you'd be amazed how easy it is to do that to other people." "I'll have to report this, Night…" Trellar utters, but her former student ignores her. "It's funny, I was going to use magic originally but… but then I teleported in and I saw them sitting there, living their luxuriant lifestyle… and I thought… people like this don't deserve such a quick demise. No. There's only one way in which people like this should be killed… and that's with a lot of blood and screaming." He continues trying to dislodge his scythe from Trae's back, but Trellar tells him, "You're under arrest for… for…" Night simply turns to her and laughs, reminding her that she taught him everything she knows; "And you were right… I _am_ more skilled." With that, he freezes her to the spot the same way he did InspiredAndNatural, and he asks his fairy tutor if she remembers how they first met. "Night… Night, what are you doing?" She looks terrified. "You were trapped… and I saved you. I had to kill a Venus flytrap to do it, but hey…" he uses his magic to make the same pair of large garden shears appear in his hands in a whirl of black smoke, "That's what you do when something's a threat to you…" he approaches her menacingly, " _You cut it out_." With one snip, Trellar's head falls from her body, her blood spraying all over Night, and he watches sadly as her body crumples to the ground; much less dignified than Doc. He drops the shears on the floor and manages to dislodge his scythe with one pull upon walking past Trae. He then takes the Bureaucrat's crown and places it upon his own head; he looks at the blood soaked blade and he says to himself, "Now to take care of their son…"  
The people of the Once Upon a Time Wiki are seen gathered outside its palace as a sysop representative walks out on a stage. "Ladies and gentlemen… it is my deepest regret to inform you that our beloved Bureaucrats, DocMD and Trae209, are dead…" Everyone in the Wiki looks shocked, and after a while of grievance, the representative continues, "But, fortunately, I am also able to announce that their son, Reginafan2626, has made a full recovery, and he is now ready to take to the throne with the firm hand that this Wiki needs!" The crowd then cheers, and the representative adds, "Now, introducing our brand new Bureaucrat: Reginafan2626!" The crowd's cheers become louder, and Night steps out onto the stage. For the first time, he is dressed all in black with a scythe in one hand. He looks down at his sysop subjects and summons a ball of fire in his hand. They all look frightened of him, cowering slightly, and Reginafan smiles, extinguishing in the flames. "There are going to be big changes around here," he announced, "But probably not the ones you were all hoping for." He smiles callously, and in that moment, The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors is dead, and the Evil Bureaucrat is born.


	9. Time After Time

**Time After Time**

In the heat haze of the bordered Devious Maids Wiki, MaryPierceLopez is seen being loaded into a small crate on the back of a horse and carriage with the aid of her mother, Rosie 7. Mary is crying, looking at her mother from within the open crate and tells her, "I don't want to leave." Rosie kisses her daughter's forehead and assures her everything's going to be alright; "It is safer on the other side. You will have more of a chance of being someone once you leave this place behind." "But I don't want to leave _you_ behind," Mary weeps. "Miha, you have to. I don't have much long left as it is, and you may never get another chance like this." "Just… just know that I love you," Mary utters, and Rosie nods, saying she loves her too. "And I'll miss you," tears pour from Mary's eyes, and Rosie gives her another kiss on the forehead. "Now go… live a better life than you ever could've lived here. And remember, Miha… above all else, hold on to hope." And with that, the crate is closed and Mary is plunged into darkness. As the carriage begins moving and she makes her way out of the border of the Devious Maids Wiki, Mary whispers to herself, "My life is going to be better… everything is going to be better…"

Mary is next seen mopping the floors at the palace of the Once Upon a Time Wiki. She sighs as she does so, and when Reginafan2626 strolls past in all his evil glory, he tells her to pick up the pace, not bothering to look her in the eye as he addresses her. She begins mopping faster, and soon finds herself round the corner of the corridor, where Lady Junky is sitting on a seat with a handkerchief, drying her own tears. Mary asks the blonde beauty what the matter is, but the Administrator tells her maid that she wouldn't understand this kind of problem. "Try me," Mary says, leaning the mop up against a wall and sitting beside her employer, "I'm smarter than you might think." "It's just… my father is always trying to control me, and up until now, I've not really taken issue with it, but… but…" Lady begins explaining. "What? What is it he's done?" Mary asks, concerned. "He's said that I've come to 'that age', so… so he's going to begin searching for a suitor. For me to… for me to marry," she continues crying. "Well, that's not _so_ bad…" Mary tries convincing her, but Lady argues, "It was always my dream to marry for love… I just, I can't believe he's taking that away from me." Mary gives the Admin a hug, and assures her that it's all going to be okay, suggesting that she may even end up falling in love with her suitor. "I doubt it," Lady says, "My dream is dead." "Hey," Mary says in reply, "If you hold on to hope… no dream is out of reach." "You think so?" "It's what my mother always told me," Mary explains. "So… what are _your_ dreams?" Lady wonders. Mary smirks, saying it's silly, but Lady urges her to spill. "Alright," Mary goes to admit, "When I was little… I always dreamed of being one of the Staff members in Community Central. But that can't really happen now." "Why not?" Lady asks, and Mary points out that she's a mere maid. "So what? You _just_ told me that any dream can come true if you hold on to hope. You don't think the same applies to you?" "Well," Mary says, "It's just that I'm just not sure how much hope I have left."

Years later, Mary runs into the dining hall of the same palace as Rena Charming and a newly pregnant Lady Junky sit down for dinner. "Mrs. Lady!" Mary calls, "Mr. Rena!" "What is it?" Lady wonders, and Mary tells her, "They finally replied; Staff. They've finally accepted me into their training program!" "That's wonderful," Rena tells her. "When do you start?" Lady asks, and Mary tells her that she'll be gone in a week. "Well, congratulations," Lady offers, "But… I'm really gonna miss you." "I'm gonna miss you too," Mary assures her, and the pregnant blonde stands up to hug her maid. Mary walks over to Rena's place and begins pouring wine into his empty goblet. "And at last," she adds, "My life really _is_ going to get better!"

Mary, dressed in a bright purple outfit, fit for a fairy, sighs as she pours wine for Rappy 4187 and Sannse, as they sit at their own dinner table and discuss whatever it is they're discussing. They thank her, but pay her barely any attention, and she makes her way into another room. Soon, she's sadly dawdling through the palace when she comes across open double doors to a secret-looking room filled with magical artefacts. "These doors aren't meant to be open," she says to herself, proceeding to enter the room, and she is shocked to see Reginafan2626 holding the memory stick containing all the information he needs to enact the Virus. Stunned, she quickly hits a red button beside the entrance and a piercing alarm is raised. From her pocket, she takes some magic dust and tries throwing it at the Evil Bureaucrat, but he simply subdues it with magic of his own before waving a hand and making it so she's slammed against the wall, causing her to pass out (see "A Means to an End").

Mary wakes up later, still where she was, but the alarms have stopped sounding by now. She sits up, her head groggy, and looks annoyed at the fact that no one's bothered to move her. She manages to get to her feet, but she stumbles slightly, and this causes a bottle amongst the magical artefacts around her to fall from its shelf and onto the floor; smoke flies from the top and a woman dressed all in gold forms from it. "Mistress mine; my will is thine, blah, blah, blah, hi!" exclaims the woman. "Um… who are you?" Mary asks, "And… _what_ are you?" "My name is Dlrgirl75," she explains, "I'm your genie." " _My_ genie?" "Well, you freed me from the restraints of my bottle," Dlrgirl explains, "As such, you have three wishes. You can wish for anything you want, except more wishes. Oh, and I can't raise the dead. And some other stuff. But you just make 'em and I'll tell you if they work or not." Mary looks distrustful of the genie, pointing out that she wouldn't be locked up in this room if she weren't dangerous, but Dlrgirl denies this, pointing out that Staff would lock up their own children if they were something they couldn't understand. "Well…" Mary says, "I have no wishes to make, so, um… bye." She exits the room and shuts Dlrgirl inside, locking the door behind her. She begins making her way back through the Community Central palace and comes across a partially-opened door, in which Sannse and Rappy are speaking. "Reginafan2626 has the Virus!" Rappy is heard exclaiming. "I know, but do you think he'll use it?" wonders Sannse. "Of course he will, why else would he have taken it?!" Rappy yells. "Maybe he just wants to use it as a threat. A bluff." "Or… maybe he doesn't know of the conditions?" Rappy suggests. "You think he doesn't know about the expiration?" Sannse wonders. "Not many do," Rappy points out, "I don't think it's recorded in any volume…" "So… he could very well enact this Virus not knowing that it will kill everyone it consumes after 21 years?" "Yes," Rappy tells her, "Yes, he could." Mary looks understandably worried.  
Much later, when the Virus is consuming all of Wikia, Mary is seen running through the Community Central palace in a hurry. She makes her way to the room of artefacts and unlocks it, surprised to see that Dlrgirl75 is still out of her bottle. "Hey," says the genie, "Been a while… how've you been?" "Um, not great," Mary replies, "If you hadn't noticed, the Virus has been enacted." " _The_ Virus? Oh, that's rough," Dlrgirl says. "Um… yeah, anyway, I'd like to use my first wish to, well, stop the Virus." "Ooh, I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, this is the Virus to end all Viruses… kind of beyond my power," Dlrgirl explains. "Oh, well, um… could you, like, make it so everyone remembers who they are?" "'Fraid not… still a little beyond me," the genie admits. "Wow, you're a terrible genie," Mary accuses, and Dlrgirl nods, saying, "Yeah, kinda. Want anything else? Maybe a nice cupcake to munch on before you're doomed for all eternity?" "Can you make it so _I_ retain all my memories? Just me?" Mary wonders, and the genie nods, saying she thinks so. "Good enough for me," Mary says, going on to state firmly, "I wish to retain my memories when I'm consumed by the Dark Virus." Dlrgirl nods, and Mary says, "Any time you're ready…" "Oh, I just granted it." "Really? I, um… I expected a bigger show. Maybe a hand gesture or something…" "Yeah, I'm just not that type of genie," Dlrgirl tells her, and Mary bids her a confused goodbye before leaving the room. When she does so, she is shocked to see that Reginafan2626 has sent all manner of dark creatures to take out as many Staff members as possible before the Virus fully consumes the site. Suddenly, Mary is stabbed in the gut with the sword of DisneyMeerkats, who laughs before knocking the former maid out with the hilt of said sword. Mary is left unconscious and bleeding out as the black smoke of the Virus consumes her.

Mary is next seen lying in hospital in a coma with Joseph Kahn sitting at her bedside; suddenly, she wakes up. "N-Natalia?" Joe utters, to which Mary asks, "Who?" Joe is shocked and begins calling for a doctor, and it's not long before Joanna Seer rushes in, shocked to see that the long-time coma patient is awake. She calls in other medical professionals whilst Joe leaves.

After a few weeks in hospital, Natalia is seen returning home to her apartment. She begins looking around, and it's not long before she spots a distinctive bottle sitting on one of her bookshelves. "No way…" she utters, grabbing the bottle, and a puff of smoke later, Dlrgirl75 stands before her. "Finally!" Dlrgirl yells, "You have _no_ idea how bored I've been for the last 21 freakin' years!" "21 years? That's how long it's been?" "Yeah, you've been away," Dlrgirl says. "I've been in a coma," Natalia explains, "Apparently my name is Natalia Grant now." "Whatever," says Dlrgirl, and Natalia proceeds to wonder why the Virus hasn't expired yet. "Huh?" asks the genie, and Natalia explains that everyone is supposed to die after 21 years of being under the Virus' effects. "Perhaps there's a leniency period," Dlrgirl suggests, "How nice of it." "Yeah, well I don't wanna be here to find out how long that lasts," Natalia says, before taking a look at Dlrgirl and asking, "How come you weren't given a new identity." Dlrgirl shrugs, saying, "I think I was protected by the fact that I was in your servitude. If I hadn't had a master at the time the Virus hit I think I'd be wandering around with all the other clueless bozos. Instead, I've been sitting in that damn bottle getting a sore ass since the early '90s." "Are you still in my servitude?" Natalia wonders, and Dlrgirl nods, saying she thinks so. "And can you still do magic?" "Probably, make a wish and let's find out." "Um… no. I don't wanna waste them." Dlrgirl rolls her eyes, calling Natalia a spoilsport. "So, is there anything you're sure of?" Natalia continues asking, "I mean… what do we do now?" "Well, I suggest we go find the savior." "The who now?" "Well, that's what I've been calling him in my head. Basically, there's this kid who's descended from two really magical bloodlines and he's meant to have the power to deactivate the Virus," Dlrgirl explains. "And how do you know that?" asks Natalia, to which the genie replies she had a lot of time to read up on the Virus when Mary locked her in that room of artefacts back in Community Central. "Alright," says Natalia, "A child born of two magical bloodlines, you say? Well, Rena Charming and Lady Junky are from such bloodlines… and she was pregnant, so… we just have to find their baby and then this whole mess will be over. We need to find Jdg98." "Great," Dlrgirl adds, "So you just gotta find one baby in a town full of people… how hard could it be?"

Three months later, Dlrgirl and Natalia are seen sitting at the breakfast table together. "I've literally searched every baby of this town and I still have no inkling as to which one is Jdg98, or if he's even here. The Evil Bureau could've killed him the moment we all arrived," Natalia is saying. "Yup," Dlrgirl says, getting up, "Sucks." She walks towards the window and looks outside of it, shocked by what she sees, and Natalia asks, "What? What is it?" She walks towards the window as well and she sees the line of black smoke which is currently consuming the town. "What the hell?" she asks. "You know how you mentioned an expiration?" Dlrgirl reminds her, "I think it's here."  
The two of them are then seen running outside, with the genie getting odd looks from Ben as they run past him. Natalia steps forward and watches from afar as the smoke moves towards Liz. "No," she utters, "No!" Liz looks towards Natalia, seeming confused, when suddenly, the smoke envelops her, and Liz becomes a dismembered corpse. Her blood and body parts litter the streets, along with everyone else's, and Natalia screams (see "A Chat Mod's Tale"). She then spots other town members watching the smoke; Justine, Josh, Val, Rena… all darted around the streets but all as assuredly doomed as the other. "They're gonna die. All of them. They're all going to die…" "As are we!" Dlrgirl exclaims, and Natalia wishes to have another chance of finding the savior. "How am I meant to pull _that_ off?!" Dlrgirl wonders. "I don't know… just… think of something!" Natalia exclaims, and suddenly, her wish is granted.

Again, Natalia is seen waking up from her coma as Joe sits at her bedside. She looks up at his shocked face and takes a good, hard look at it. "It's you…" she suddenly realizes. "N-Natalia?" he utters, and she sits up. "It's you!" she happily exclaims, but he is freaked out and calls for the nurse.

"I'm telling you," Natalia says a few weeks later in her apartment, "The guy I saw when I woke up was _definitely_ the son of Rena and Lady! It was as though someone had taken their faces and… _shmushed_ them together." "That's gross," Dlrgirl tells her, "You're gross." "Besides, I could just _sense_ it was him. It was _definitely_ him!" "Really? Was he a baby?" Dlrgirl asks. "Well, no… but he could've escaped before the Virus hit. He could've been raised in this world and found his way to Storywik!" "Cool theory," Dlrgirl says, "But how are you gonna prove it?" "I just need to talk to him," Natalia says, "And then I'll know."

Natalia is next seen entering The Sword and Hammer, where Rena and Joe are each tending bar. She approaches and sits down, and Rena asks her what she'd like to drink. "Go away!" Natalia exclaims, "I'm here to talk to the other dude!" Rena looks confused and makes his way into the back room of the bar whilst Joe approaches Natalia from the other end. "Hey," she says, "You knew in town?" "Uh, I guess," Joe tells her, "Got here a few weeks ago." "A few weeks ago? Interesting… and, um, were you… were you raised by your biological parents?" He looks confused by this, but still answers, saying, "No… actually I was raised in an orphanage. Why… are you asking such questions? I don't even know your name." "Oh, I'm Mar—I'm Natalia Grant," she introduces herself, extending her hand across the bar and allowing Joe to shake it. "Joe," he says, "Kahn." "It's nice to meet you, Joe," she says. "Natalia Grant…" he utters, recognizing the name, "You're the girl who was in the coma! I was sitting with you when you woke up. You… acted weird," he recalls. "I remember," she assures him, and he asks what she'd like to drink. "Oh, I'm not here for a drink. I'm here to talk to you. Is there a place we could go in private?"  
"What?!" Joe is then heard exclaiming in the bar's back room. "Are you on drugs?!" he then yells. "No, Joe, you have to believe me! You're the key to saving this town! To saving your parents! To saving _everyone_!" "I have no parents," he reminds her, "And you're crazy. Get out!" "Joe, please! Please listen to me!" "I have no interest in doing so," he tells her, "You are no longer welcome in this bar." Natalia leaves sadly.

"So, how was it meeting the 'savior'?" Dlrgirl wonders when Natalia returns home. "Not good," she replies, "I tried explaining his destiny to him but he freaked out and told me to leave." "Well, of course he did! You can't just lay it all on him like that; you gotta ease him into it." "It's a little late for that now," Natalia points out, but Dlrgirl suggests that she invite Joe round and have him witness her; "One look at me popping in and out of a bottle as big as my head oughtta get him believing in magic." Natalia raises her eyebrow to the suggestion, clearly considering it.

Joe arrives in Natalia's apartment and she thanks him for finally agreeing to meet with her. "I almost didn't," Joe admits, "But I figured I'd get it over with. What is it you want to show me?" At this, Natalia retrieves Dlrgirl75's bottle from the shelf, and as she approaches Joe, she asks him not to freak out. He appears confused and she gives the bottle a tap, prompting the genie within to emerge in a compilation of yellow smoke. "Hi," she says, "I'm Dlrgirl75. I'm a magical genie. Wanna see the inside of my bottle?" Joe looks confused, asking what the hell he's just seen, and Dlrgirl rolls her eyes before flying round the room in the form of smoke, rematerializing next to Joe himself. "You know, that's not an offer I extend to everybody. Except maybe _every_ guy I grew up with." She giggles, but Joe looks entirely freaked out, pushing past the genie and storming out of the apartment. Natalia sighs with disappointment.

Dlrgirl and Natalia are again seen sitting at the breakfast table together when the former asks, "Have you looked at the date today?" Natalia glances towards the calendar and says, "Crap." She then gets up and approaches the window, squinting into the horizon. "Yep," she says, "It's far into the distance, but it's starting. The expiration has begun." "And there's no chance of the 'savior' returning and, well, saving everyone?" Dlrgirl asks. "Nope," says Natalia, "We freaked him out so much that he left town." "Ugh, men," the genie grunts, "So what are we gonna do?" Natalia ponders this, and says that there's one person who might be able to help them, but she can't be sure.  
Natalia and Dlrgirl are seen knocking on an apartment door and Joanna Seer answers. She sneers and tells them to go away, but Natalia quickly says that they know all about the Virus. Joanna looks at them with interest and invites them into her home.  
"So, is there anything you can do about the expiration?" Natalia asks, but a shocked Joanna replies negatively, saying she never even knew about it. "And you say it's happening _now_?" "Right now," Natalia confirms. "Well, where's Jdg98?" the nurse wonders, and Dlrgirl chimes in with, "She scared him out of town." "Well… you're going to have to use your last wish and try one more time. And this time, don't fail!" Joanna orders her. "But how?!" Natalia asks, to which the nurse replies, "Figure it out!" The smoke begins seeping into the apartment and filling it up. Natalia ad Dlrgirl back themselves into a corner but Joanna is already a mess of blood and bones. "Hurry!" the genie exclaims, and Natalia wishes, "I wish to have one more chance to convince the savior of his destiny!" Dlrgirl quickly grants this wish, but as she does so, the smoke consumes her and she almost immediately liquidizes. "NO!" Natalia yells, being sprayed with blood, but it's not long before she's pulled back in time for the second and final time.

Natalia grabs Joe's wrist as her eyes shoot open. Joe is shocked and Natalia sits up, putting her finger to her lips and shushing him loudly. Joe remains in a stunned silence as the now-conscious coma patient unplugs her own machines in order to dull the noise. She then looks into Joe's eyes and says, "Jdg98, my name is MaryPierceLopez. I need to tell you about the Virus…" Joe doesn't know how to react (see "Welcome to Storywik").  
After being discharged from hospital, Natalia is seen entering her apartment and immediately goes to the bottle on her shelf. However, when she grabs it, no smoke comes out, and no genie. She looks inside to check whether her little friend is hiding, but there is no sign of life. Natalia clutches the bottle and falls to the floor as she cries uncontrollably.

 _Present Day_

Natalia is sitting down in the same apartment when she reaches for her phone and dials Joe's number. "Hello?" he answers. "Hi, Joe? It's Natalia. I need you to do something for me." "Um… what? I thought you were still mad at me," he recalls. "Look, I'm sorry," she says, "I just… I need you to give me a chance. A chance to convince you that what I've been spouting ever since I woke up is the truth." "Um, alright, and how are you gonna do that?" he asks curiously. "I need a day with you. Just one day, tomorrow. If you don't believe me by the end of it… then let it never be spoken of again. Does that sound fair to you?" Joe contemplates to offer before telling her, "I'll see you tomorrow."


	10. The Savior

**The Savior**

The little cloth-wrapped baby that is Jdg98 lies on the roadside somewhere in Maine, crying his little eyes out. "Do you hear that?" someone is heard saying. "It's coming from over there!" another voice replies. Soon, a young couple out for a jog approach the baby, shocked to find him where he is. "Oh, my God… who would just dump a baby on the side of a road?!" the man exclaims as the woman picks him up. "Come on," she says, cradling him in her arms, "We have to get him to a hospital or something." The baby's crying ceases as the woman gently rocks him, and he looks up at these two strangers with sad and tired eyes.

Early in the morning, Joe is standing outside The Sword and Hammer whilst Natalia approaches, asking if he's ready. "What have you got planned?" Joe wonders, to which she replies, "For you to believe." "Yes, I know that bit," Joe tells her, "But how are you going to accomplish that exactly?" "You'll see soon enough," says Natalia, "We're going on a little field trip. Follow me." She begins walking away and Joe follows on, curious.

Josh is seen bringing Ben into Justine's room at the hospital and he prompts the lad forward. Before Justine has a chance to say anything, Ben is down on one knee popping open a small box with a diamond ring inside; the blonde beauty is shocked and sits up. She tries to speak, but Josh clears his throat to cut her off, and Ben begins talking: "Justine… when you were in your coma, I made a promise to you that, when you woke up, I'd propose to you again… so that's what I'm doing. And, um, and if you agree to marry me… I swear I'll work hard at our relationship and do everything within my power to make your dreams come true, because you'll be making mine come true just by being with me." Justine goes to talk again, completely flushed, but Josh cuts in again with, "Wow… you'd be mad to turn down an offer like that." Justine looks between Ben and her father, feeling extremely pressured, and then, out of sympathy more than anything else, she looks towards her ex-fiancé and says, "Yes." "Yes? Yes, you will marry me?" Ben asks, ecstatic, and Justine nods her head, not wanting to say it again. He slips the ring on her finger and stands up, assuring her that they can get married as soon or as late as she wants, and Josh smiles. Ben goes to kiss his future bride, but when his lips approach hers, she quickly subverts and he catches her cheek. He backs away slightly awkwardly, but still happy, and proceeds to leave the room. Josh looks at his daughter and points out how fast her life is already repairing after the accident; "Everything's practically perfect." He leaves also, and Justine mutters to herself, "Yeah… freakin' perfect."

Joe and Natalia stop outside the Mayor's office building and the former wonders what they're doing there. "Oh, for what we're going to do, we're going to need the Mayor's skeleton keys," she explains, and a shocked Joe asks her how she plans to get her hands on those. "Simple," Natalia assures him, "You go up and distract Valentina, I'll do the rest." She begins making her way round the corner of the building and Joe wonders where she's going. "I told you I'd take care of it," she says, "Now go distract Valentina!" Joe shrugs and makes his way inside and up the stairs, knocking on the office door. Val answers and looks at Joe with contempt in her eyes, wondering what he's doing there. Joe pauses for a while, thinking, but eventually comes out with, "The whole sexual harassment thing…" "What about it?" Val wonders, confused. As Joe formulates more words, he looks past Val to see Natalia climbing into the office through the window. His face looks shocked and Val wonders what he's looking at, going to turn around. However, Joe puts his hand on her shoulder to grab her attention, and she turns back to him. "I just wanted to say… no hard feelings." "Right…" Val replies as Natalia locates to keys and quietly carries them back to the window. "Is that all?" Val wonders, wanting to end this pointless interaction. "No," Joe assures her, "Um… to prove I am 100% over it… I would like to… ask you out on a date." Val looks disgusted and tells Joe he'd have better luck with a troll, and as she does so, Natalia climbs out the window and makes herself out of sight. "Now leave, before I frame you again," Val exclaims, and Joe tells her quickly, "Aw well, can't blame a man for trying, see ya' round, Val, I hope you all the best." He walks away and she looks at him confusedly, soon shrugging it off and slamming the office door.

The office door to the orphanage where Joe grew up opens and he, a little boy, sits frustrated in a chair as a married couple strolls in. They are the same couple who found him when he was a baby, with a few more years on them. "You're wasting your time," he tells them before they even sit down, "I have no interest in being adopted." "That's a shame," says the woman, "Because we think you're something really special." Joe scoffs, telling them how generic that sounds, and they laugh. The man goes on to ask, "Do you know who we are?" Joe shakes his head, and the man continues in saying, "I'm Mike Kahn and this is my wife, Gabrielle." Something about the names rings a bell in Joe's head, and it doesn't take him long to realize, "You're the couple who found me when I was a baby…" They nod, and the young man proceeds to ask, "Why do you want to adopt me all of a sudden?" "Joe, we've regretted letting you out of our sight the moment we gave you in," says Gabrielle, "But it's taken us so long to find you because you keep moving from orphanage to orphanage." "It must be a pretty tough way to live," Mike points out, and Joe nods after a pause, saying that it is. "And so… we'd like you to come and live with us," Gabrielle says. "And finally gain some sense of stability," Mike adds. "After all," Gabrielle goes on, "We've known you since you were a baby." Joe smiles.

Joe laughs as he and Natalia run from Josh's office, round the street corner, and stop to catch their breath. Natalia dangles the keys in front of her accomplice's face and says, "Mission accomplished," and Joe smiles. "Where to next?" he asks. "We," she tells him, "Are returning to the scene where Justine King was held hostage." Joe appears intrigued and follows his partner in crime yet again.

Meanwhile, Justine is sitting in her hospital bed and visited by Rena, who brings with him a bouquet of pink roses. "I've been, um, waiting for your dad to leave for something to eat so that I could give these to you, but, I realize now that that's stupid anyway because he'll just see them if he comes in here." "I don't mind," she assures him, taking the flowers. She gives them a sniff and smiles, asking how he knew pink roses were her favorite. Rena shrugs, saying, "Just a hunch," and Justine places them carefully on the night stand. After a pause, the beautiful blonde admits, "I, um… I heard everything you said to me right before I woke up." Rena looks mortified, telling her, "I thought you were a bit… out of it." "I was," Justine assures him, "But it's been coming back to me more and more over the past few days." "So… are things awkward between us?" he wonders, "What with you… knowing how I feel about you." "No," she says, "It's not, because… and I know this is crazy, 'cause we've only had a few brief encounters, but… I feel exactly the same way." Rena smiles, and the two of them stare deep into each others' eyes.

Natalia and Joe are next seen approaching the burnt bakery on the outskirts of town, and the latter asks, "Why do we need skeleton keys to get into this burned-down piece of trash? And… how will it get me to believe?" "Oh, we're not here for that," Natalia says, "We're here for _that_ ," and she points to the chained-up storm cellar entrance nearby. They walk towards it, and as they do, Natalia says she's been interested in this area ever since she heard that it's where Justine was kept hostage. Joe wonders why, and Natalia tells him, "Obviously, Joshua King – as he's known here – was behind it." "How d'you know that?" Joe wonders, to which she replies, "How else would _Benjamin Leech_ – again, as he's known here – have saved the day? Clearly a staged event." They reach the storm cellar and Natalia begins using the keys to unlatch the many padlocks binding it shut. Soon enough, the chains fall away and the door opens, and Joe asks what it is they're meant to be finding down there. Natalia turns to him and says, "I'm hoping to uncover the Evil Bureaucrat's secret vault." She heads down the stairs and Joe goes to follow.

Young Joe heads down the stairs of his new home to his new bedroom, which is situated in the basement. He takes a look around and is immediately disappointed; it's a pretty dank and dark place with nothing but a bed and a chest of drawers; second-hand at that. "I can't have a bedroom upstairs?" he wonders, but Gabrielle, who follows him down the stairs with her husband, explains that there's no room; "Besides, basement bedrooms are _much_ more trendy." "Well… can I dress it up a little?" Joe wonders, but Mike tells him, "Sleep a few nights, I'm sure you'll start to think of it as home." "Now," Gabrielle continues, "We'll leave you to get acquainted. See you in a little while." They exit the basement and shut the door behind them whilst Joe approaches his bed and parks his little suitcase beside it. He sits down and sighs as he spots a rat scampering amongst the dust bunnies, and he slowly heads back up the basement stairs, opening the door a crack. He hears his new parents' voices coming from another room. "…and with the child support checks now rolling in, we'll finally be able to afford that second car we've been wanting," Gabrielle's voice says. Mike laughs and Joe shuts the door, running back down the stairs and to his bed, where he cries his eyes out.

Joe and Natalia are now standing in the dank storm cellar and he points out that it doesn't exactly seem like a secret vault; "More like a place one would hide dead bodies… hey, do you think Ricardo Jones is buried under here?" "Nope," Natalia says, "That dude has probably blown halfway to Fiji by now. But that's not what we're looking for." "What _are_ we looking for?" Joe wonders, and Natalia explains that she expects there to be some sort of sub-entrance shrouded by magic; "You should be able to locate it, being a prophesied natural at magic at all." He steps forward, "That's ridiculous, you can't seriously expect to just stumble upon—" "Joe, look down," Natalia chimes in, and he follows the instruction to see he's standing on the magical symbol carved into the ground, on top of what appears to be a trap door. "No…" he utters. "Yes!" Natalia exclaims, pushing Joe to one side in order to open it. "You first," she says, and Joe begins heading down the extra set of stairs, muttering something about how the entrance must've been covered in dust or something. "Yeah, sure it was," Natalia laughs as she follows him downward.

Valentina strolls into the Sheriff's Station where Liz is sitting at her desk. "Hi, I'd like to report a robbery," she says, at which Liz asks what's been stolen, grabbing a notepad and pencil. Valentina tells the sheriff that she's unable to find her boss' very important set of keys, and Liz scratches this down as the PA says it. "Do you have any idea who might have stolen then?" Liz wonders, and Val tells her, "Well, Joseph Kahn paid me a visit today—" She stops talking because her cell phone begins ringing, and she tells Liz she has to take this. The sheriff rolls her eyes and drops the notepad as Val makes her way into the hall, answering her call. "Josh, you're not gonna believe this – your skeleton keys are missing," she tells him, but the Mayor assures him they've got bigger problems. "Like what?" Val wonders, and in the hospital, Josh watches through the indoor window as Rena and Justine converse within the latter's room, talking and laughing. He looks to be seething with rage, and from behind him, Joanna Seer is heard tutting. "Oh dear," she comments, "Looks like all of your plans are falling apart lately." She giggles and walks away, and Josh's rage increases.

Natalia and Joe enter the actual secret vault and Joe is shocked by what he sees; all around him are magical ingredients and mysterious substances; flasks and pots and vials and chests and even a few weapons hung up. "What is all this?" he asks, amazed, to which Natalia replies, "Magic – Reginafan2626's magic." "Is that supposed to be Josh?" Joe asks further, and Natalia nods. Joe continues to be awestruck and he inspects the shelves, looking at the weird and wonderful things the Evil Bureaucrat keeps bottled up. "I've never seen anything like it," he says, to which Natalia replies, "You wouldn't have, unless you've spent a lot of time in Wikia. Which, ultimately, you didn't, because of the whole Virus thing." Joe is barely listening and comes across one of the few unlocked chests on the shelves. He goes to open it, but Natalia says, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Lord only knows what that nut job keeps down here. Besides, I doubt he'd just leave a chest unlocked. It's probably there to trick intruders." Again, Joe is barely listening, and he opens the chest anyway. "I told you not to—" Natalia tries, but she soon finds herself screaming as a small scorpion crawls out. "Is that what I think it is?" Joe wonders. "Get away from it!" Natalia yells, freaked out. Suddenly, the scorpion begins growing, and Joe backs away from it. It grows and grows; the size of a sheep, the size of a horse, until finally it plateaus, nearly bursting through the ceiling of the vault. Natalia screams, curling up scared in a corner, whereas Joe stands, petrified, glued to the spot. The giant scorpion lifts its tail, ready to sting what's in front of it, and Natalia screams, "LOOK OUT!" However, just as it's about to strike, Joe instinctively grabs one of the weapons from the wall – a sword – and, with a surprising amount of skill, he severs the tail from the giant arachnid's body, and it begins to shrink to its original size. When the scorpion tries attacking him with its claws, he again uses the sword to sever it, and the claw too begins shrinking. Joe then stabs the dark creature up the fleshy part where its mouth would be, and he manages to pierce through its brain and crack the exoskeleton at the top. He withdraws the sword, now covered in green goo, and the creatures corpse shrinks to the size of a cocktail shrimp, and Joe sighs with relief, throwing the sword to one side. Natalia, hyperventilating, manages to get to her feet; she then looks straight at Joe with widened eyes and says, "Told you so."

It's Joe's 21st birthday and he sits on his bed in the basement with a single cupcake; a candle protrudes from it. He checks his watch and sees it's just gone midnight. "Happy birthday to me," he sings, tears forming in his eyes slightly, "Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear Joe… Happy birthday to me." He blows the candle out and puts the cupcake to one side, taking out a pen and turning to the map of Maine – torn from a school Atlas – which is taped to his wall. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, pointing the pen in front of him and circling a random point. He opens his eyes and sees what's circled. "Storywik…" he utters, "Well then… that's where I'm gonna go." He grabs the cupcake and begins eating.  
With his suitcase in his hand, Joe sneaks through the Kahn house at night and digs around in his adoptive mothers' purse, which has been left downstairs. From it, he takes her wallet and her car keys. He looks at the latter item and smiles to himself, saying, "You can get by with just the one."  
In his parents' white car, Joe drives by an ATM machine and puts Gabrielle's credit card inside, entering the PIN. He withdraws all the money he can, completely cleaning her out, and stuffs it all in his pockets. He then gets back into the car and begins driving away. He looks to the circled map on the passenger seat and says, "Storywik, Maine… here I come."

Joe is running from the storm cellar and across the field and Natalia is racing after him. It's not long before she catches up and manages to tackle him to the ground. "What the hell?!" he yells, "Get off me!" "Why did you come to Storywik?" she asks. "What?" he exclaims, finally settling under her grip, and she repeats the question. "I dunno, I… I circled it on a map with my eyes closed and decided to start anew here." "Storywik isn't on any maps, Joe! Only someone like the savior would have been able to see it!" she exclaims. "Oh, the savior? Now I'm 'the savior'?!" he yells. "You've always been the savior, you're just now realizing it!" "Get off of me!" "Only if you promise not to run away! Do you promise?" Joe sighs and nods, and Natalia stands up; the two of them face each other in the middle of the field. "Did you not see what just happened in there?" she asks, pointing to the vault. "Yes, I saw it! But I can't _explain_ it!" he yells, frightened. "That's okay," she assures him, "Because I can! It was a _magical_ creature from a _magical_ land salvaged by an evil _magician_!" "You don't make any sense!" "I'm the only thing in this whole damn town that makes any sense!" she screams. He begins rubbing his head in frustration and Natalia gets an idea; "Put your hands on my head." "What the hell are you talking about?" he asks, and she tells him to just do it, reminding him that he promised to give her a chance to prove it all to him and now he's got to make good on it; "You've got to give me that chance! You promised so just _do it_!" she screeches. Joe looks a tad scared by her and places his hands on either side of her forehead, asking what it is he's meant to be achieving here. "You're meant to be the most magically powerful being in the history of ever," Natalia tells him, "So, if I voluntarily let down my mental defences and think about what I want you to see… I'm hoping you'll be able to read my mind." "That's crazy," Joe tells her, his hands still on her head, and she tells him it just might be, but he's still going to do it. Again, Joe sighs, and asks how he's supposed to read her mind, and she tells him that he just has to focus hard on doing so, and he should be able to accomplish it. "Ready? Okay," she says, letting her guard down. Joe closes his eyes and looks to be really trying, and the two of them stand there for a while. Nothing happens and he gives up, placing his hands at his sides. Natalia looks angry and grabs his wrists, placing his hands back at her head but he says that this isn't going to work. "Yes it will!" she exclaims, "Because it _has_ to work, okay?! Just try harder!" "I'm trying as hard as I can but it's impossible for someone to do magic and it's impossible for me to be able to read your m—"  
Suddenly, things begin flashing through Joe's head. He sees many aspects of MaryPierceLopez's life, including her learning of the Virus' expiration, her travelling through time and her witnessing everyone in Storywik's deaths.  
The flashes cease, and Joe falls to the ground, someone else's memories filling his head. "Oh, my God…" he utters, "I was… I was in your head…" Natalia is jumping up and down with glee, yelling, "It worked! It worked!" She looks down at Joe and asks him, " _Now_ do you believe me?" "Yes…" he utters, "Yes, I do… Mary." She lifts him to his feet and hugs him tight, and the two of them jump up and down as they laugh joyously.

Val approaches Josh in the hospital and asks him what the matter is, and he tells her that he saw Renato Smith conversing with his daughter, and he overheard the two of them express their love for one another. "What does that mean?" Val wonders, and Josh says, "It means I've reached the end of my tether. It's time to turn to the final resort…" "And that would be?" asks Val. "I have to get rid of Renato…" he utters, before telling his PA, "Fetch me a pen and some paper.

Valentina is next seen skulking by the door to Rena's apartment. She slips a note beneath it and quickly runs down the stairs to the bar. Inside, Rena sees the note and picks it up, curious. He reads:

 _Dearest Renato. I cannot stand to be without you for another second. I bribed a hospital orderly to deliver this to you so that you could know I plan on leaving Storywik, and I want you to come with me. I'll be discharged from hospital tomorrow morning, and I want you to meet me the following night at the town exit sign. I'll bring transport, you just have to pack. This will be a start of something beautiful, my life, and I cannot wait to begin my new life with you at my side. Until then, I'll be missing you. With love,_

 _Justine King_

Rena reads this and smiles, all his dreams about to come true.  
Back in the hospital, Josh is nervously pacing up and down and empty hallway. "I meet him, I kill him, I bury the body," he chants repeatedly, "I meet him, I kill him, I bury the body…" He then stops and looks up, an evil smile drifting across his face. "And it's about damn time, too."


	11. Expiration Day

**Expiration Day**

Joe is seen making his way up the steps to the hospital entrance, casually strolling through. He walks past Joanna in the nurses' station and Justine in her room, but eventually, he finds Josh, pacing up and down the hallway. "Mr. Kahn?" Josh says, surprised, but Joe doesn't reply with words – instead, he punches Josh square in the face. "What the hell are you playing at?!" Josh exclaims, trying his best to retain his balance. "I know about the Virus," Joe tells him, but Josh asks him what he's talking about. "Save it," Joe says, "I was just down in your secret vault getting attacked by a _giant_ scorpion." "So _that's_ where my keys went…" Josh utters. "I'm gonna find a way to expose you, you son of a bitch!" Joe exclaims, "And not just for the Virus, but for getting my brakes cut when I first arrived in town, staging your own daughter's kidnapping, killing Ricardo Jones… all of it!" Josh smirks, and tells him, "Go ahead. I have magic. You have nothing." "I know your magic doesn't work on me. Natalia explained everything." "Who the hell's Natalia?" Josh asks, to which Joe replies, "Her real name is MaryPierceLopez." Josh squints, recognizing the name. "My old maid?" he asks, " _She's_ been aiding you?" "She's a lot smarter than you might think," Joe assures him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find a way to undo your mess before we all freakin' die." Josh looks confused as Joe purposefully walks away from him, plodding onwards with a mission in tow.

After forming from blood, DeviousPeep walks with similar purpose as she makes her way through the dark forest of the Creepypasta Wiki, approaching a rather dishevelled Rena Charming who remains shackled to an indestructible tree. "Well, well," she says, "How on Wikia did you get yourself into such a predicament?" "The Evil Bureaucrat," Rena replies, to which Peep says, "Say no more. How long have you been here?" "5 days." "5 days? Pity. You must be starving." "As a matter of fact, I am, yes," Rena tells him, and Peep nods. "You know," she tells him, "I rather _hate_ Reginafan2626, and I'd do just about _anything_ to stick at his craw. So… how about I set you free and give you something to eat and allow you to get back to your true love before she gets married?" "Lady's getting married?" Rena asks, desolate. "Yes, to Villain fan. In a matter of hours," Peep tells the lad. "How did you know she was my true love?" Rena wonders, and the witch explains, "Oh, honey, I know everything that goes on round here." There's a pause, and she continues, "So, to reiterate, I'll let you go, _and_ feed you, and in exchange… you will do a little something for me." "What is it you want me to do?" he wonders, and she tells him he'll only find out once he's accepted the deal. He points out how unfair that is, and she agrees, but she points out in turn that she's not the one chained to a tree, thus, she has leverage. "So… what'll it be?" she asks him, and Rena spends a while staring at the Blood Wiccan. Eventually, he says, "Deal," and she smiles, telling him he's a good boy. With one tap to the shackles from Peep, they fall to the floor, unlocked, and Rena is able to move his hand away. Peep then hands him a large chicken drumstick, having formed it from thin air, and hands it to him. As he devours it, Peep tells him, "That a boy. You're gonna need all the strength you can get." "What exactly is my end of the deal?" Rena asks between bites, and Peep tells him, "There's a certain troll I need you to face… I believe it goes by DisneyMeerkats."

Val sits at her desk in Josh's office when the Mayor himself rushes in, and the PA wonders what he's doing there so late. "We have a problem," Josh tells her. " _Another_ one?" she asks, annoyed, and Josh tells her, "Yes. Joseph Kahn knows." "Knows what?" Val wonders, but Josh pauses before telling her that's not important; "The point is, he needs to be stopped." "We tried that already," Val reminds him, "And we failed." "Maybe this time we need to get rid of him on a more permanent basis," Josh suggests, at which Val further reminds him he's already about to kill Renato Smith; "Maybe you should cool it before you become classed as a mass-murderer?" "Well, what do you propose I do?" Josh wonders, and Val tells him to sleep on it; see how he feels in the morning. "In the meantime," she adds, "Just be excited about the fact that Renato is dying tomorrow." "Yes," Josh says, an evil smile curling his lips, "That smug son of a bitch is finally going to bite the dust… and he has _no_ idea."

Rena is seen packing his suitcase in his apartment when Joe returns home. "What are you doing?" Joe wonders, and Rena tells him, "Justine and I have decided to run away together." Joe is shocked and immediately has Justine's note shoved into his hand; he gives it a read and his shock doesn't lessen. "Aren't you going to discuss this with your father first?" Joe wonders, and Rena tells him, "He's asleep at the moment… I plan on leaving a note." Joe looks at him with surprise and Rena says he knows it's crazy, but he and Justine love each other, so no one can stop them from starting afresh somewhere else. "Wait," Joe says, "You _can't_ leave!" Rena sighs, "Don't tell me _you_ disapprove as well…" "It's not that I disapprove, it's just that you _physically cannot_ leave this town," Joe tries to explain, "If you do, your car will crash, or something worse. Just look where Justine ended up after the wedding! If you try to leave, you're going to die. Promise me you won't…" Rena doesn't say anything, prompting Joe to exclaim, "Promise me!" "Alright, alright, I promise… I'll, um, stop packing I guess." "Good," Joe says, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta catch some sleep." He retreats into his bedroom, and when he's gone, Rena takes more clothes and shifts them into his suitcase, ignoring his promise to Joe entirely.

Rena and Peep are seen walking through the vast forest of the Once Upon a Time Wiki, and the former asks the witch why they can't simply use that blood trick of hers, to which she replies, "I don't take carry-ons." "So what do you want me to do when I face this troll? Kill it?" Rena wonders. "If you must," says Peep, "But it isn't essential. All I need is some of its DNA. Hair, blood, skin, what have you." "What for?" asks Rena, and Peep tells him, "For another plan of mine." "What plan?" he asks further, but the witch tells him that that's none of his business. "You're a powerful witch," Rena points out, "Why can't you capture this troll by yourself?" "I did, once… but I foolishly let it slip through my fingers without knowing how important it could be. Since then, I've learned of a certain defense mechanism this creature beholds which I'd rather not face one-on-one." "Wait a second," says Rena, " _You're_ afraid of this creature? How on Wikia am _I_ meant to have a chance at defeating it?" Peep shrugs, saying she's sure a strapping lad like him will have no trouble. "All I need is the DNA? And then I'm done?" he wonders. "Yes," Peep says, "But there is a small condition. For you see, trolls are shape-changers. The DNA will have to be obtained when DisneyMeerkats is in its true form, which I presume can be witnessed should it be subdued." "How am I meant to do this?" he asks himself, to which Peep replies, "I'm sure you'll find a way."

"We _have_ to find a way to put a stop to the Mayor!" Joe exclaims as he wanders into the Sheriff's Station the following morning. "What d'you mean?" Liz wonders, and Joe tells her that Josh is behind everything; "He had the brakes cut in my car the first day I arrived in town. He staged Justine's kidnapping. He killed Ricardo Jones. He arranged for you to be beaten up by thugs outside your home and he got his assistant to frame me!" "Do you, um, do you have any solid proof to support these claims?" Liz asks, to which Joe says he does not; "But I'm _sure_ it was Josh… he practically confirmed it when I confronted him last night." "We've tried going up against Josh before, remember?" Liz reminds him, "It never leads anywhere. He's too good at covering his tracks." "Not this time… I'm gonna defeat him… he can't win; not now I know I'm the savior." "The what?" asks Liz, looking confused, but Joe says it doesn't matter.

Natalia is sitting at Justine's bedside in hospital, and she's surprised to hear that her old friend has accepted Ben's re-proposal. "I didn't want to, but I felt so pressured by my father and so guilty after running out on the wedding the way I did," Justine explains. "The only thing you have to feel guilty about is allowing it to get that far. You were never meant to marry Ben," Natalia tells her. "I know, I know," Justine says, "And I don't want to… I met someone else." "That was fast," Natalia points out, and Justine says she knows; "But what I feel when I'm with him… it's definitely love." "Who is this mystery man?" Natalia wonders, and Justine tells her that it's Renato Smith. Natalia smiles, telling her friend that she should definitely go for it, and Justine asks her if she's sure. "Yes, I'm sure," says Natalia, "Who knows? The two of you could even end up getting married one day."

Lady Junky is sitting at her dressing table in a white wedding gown, crying. "Mrs. Lady," MaryPierceLopez is saying, "You have to stop crying. You'll ruin your face!" The maid tries applying makeup to the pretty blonde, but Lady tells her she doesn't care how she looks; "All I want is to be with Rena Charming." "Well you can't, sweetie… he's dead," Reginafan2626 says, walking in with his scythe and dressed all in black. "Excuse us, maid. I'd like a private moment with my daughter." Mary nods and leaves the room, and Reginafan pulls up a chair, turning Lady's with his magic so that the two of them sit opposite one another. "I don't want to marry another, father," Lady complains, but Reginafan tells her that that's preposterous; "Villain fan loves you." "But I don't love him," Lady says. "Sweetheart… that doesn't matter," he says sweetly, "Because you can learn to." "Can't I please be let out of this? I'm begging you." "Oh, sweetie… no. You can't," he maintains his sweet and loving tone, making it slightly eerie, "Because one way or another… you're marrying the man I chose for you. I don't care if I have to force you down that aisle by poking you in the back with the end of my scythe, but it's going to happen. So, you can either submit and make the experience more… slick. Or, you can rebel, and experience for yourself what it's like to be a snooker ball." He leans in to kiss her on the forehead and wipes her tears away with his thumb. "Can you at least stop dressing like that for the wedding?" Lady asks, and Reginafan smiles, saying, "Sure." With magic, he makes his scythe disappear and becomes dressed in the formal outfit we saw him wearing in the very first scene (see "Welcome to Storywik"). He then clicks his fingers and calls for the maid, and MaryPierceLopez comes scampering in, being instructed by the Evil Bureaucrat to fix his daughter's face. She nods and goes to the makeup, and Reginafan tells Lady that he wants to see no more tears from her today. She nods sadly and her father exits the room.

With her purse slung over her shoulder, Natalia exits the hospital just as Joe arrives; he asks her what she's doing there. "I was visiting your mother," Natalia tells him, to which he says, "Yeah, I still find that weird." "What are _you_ doing here?" Natalia wonders, and Joe explains he was hoping to run into the Mayor again and get a confession on tape, having gotten a Dictaphone from Liz which he then takes from his pocket. "Well, as far as I know, he's not in there. But feel free to check," Natalia says. The two of them part ways, but as Natalia walks further forward, she sees something in the woods in the distance. She grabs a pair of binoculars from her purse and is able to see black smoke forming amongst the trees. "Joe!" she calls, "Joe! Get over here!" Joe suddenly comes running down the hospital steps to meet Natalia and asks her what the matter is; "And why do you have binoculars on you?" "Plan B for getting you to believe was to follow the Mayor around and hope he did some magic. Anyway, that's not important. Look!" She holds them up to his eyes and he too sees the black smoke slowly forming in the woods. "What the hell is that?" he asks, "A forest fire?" "No," Natalia tells him, "That's what it looks like when the Virus' expiration begins! It's gonna consume the town and kill us all!" "How?" Joe asks, "You said it wasn't meant to happen until three months after I arrived!" Natalia looks guilty and says, "I think my meddling in time travel may have thrown things a tad out of whack. On the bright side, the smoke seems to be compiling a lot slower than usual…" "So I have to deactivate the Virus _today_?!" Joe exclaims, and Natalia tries smiling, telling him, "No pressure." He looks extremely worried.

In the hospital, Joanna is telling Justine – who's in her regular clothes – that she can leave when she's ready to go, and the beautiful blonde thanks the redheaded nurse for telling her. Joanna leaves the room and Ben immediately enters. "Oh…" says Justine, "There's not much time for a visit, my father's coming to pick me up." "No, he's not," says Ben, "He sent me." "You're going to drive me to my father's house?" Justine asks, but Ben shakes his head, saying, "I'm going to drive you back to _our_ apartment." Justine looks annoyed, and tells her fiancé that things are already moving too fast for her liking. "Hey, I'm trying to be delicate," Ben says, but Justine yells, "NO!" Ben looks frightened by her usually unseen temper, and she continues raging at him, "I _refuse_ to marry you! I _refuse_ to live with you! I don't even particularly like standing in the same room as you!" "You're not thinking straight…" Ben tries, "Let's get you home and—" "I have no home!" she exclaims, "Not with you! And as for thinking straight… I don't think I've _ever_ seen things more clearly." She removes her engagement ring and violently throws it at him, but he just manages to catch it as his ex-fiancée grabs her suitcase and begins wheeling it out the door. "I'll find my own way home, thank you very much," she says before leaving, and Ben looks down at the diamond ring in his hand, looking absolutely crushed.

Villain fan approaches Reginafan2626 in the palace of the Once Upon a Time Wiki. "Is Lady Junky ready to get married?" Villain asks, to which Reginafan replies, "I hope so." Villain nods, and the Evil Bureaucrat adds, "All we have to do is pray that nothing will go wrong."

Elsewhere in the Once Upon a Time Wiki, Rena Charming continues to hike alongside DeviousPeep, and the two of them soon make it to the bridge under which lives DisneyMeerkats. "Um, what's that?" Rena asks, pointing to the pile of bones nearby, and Peep explains to him that they're the remains of all the men she sent before him. Rena looks shocked, and Peep asks him, "Did you think you were the first? Oh, I'm sorry. I can lie to you and tell you that you are if it will make you feel more special." "I don't care about _that_!" Rena exclaims, "But I'm not going up against a creature capable of leaving no meat on my body whatsoever!" "But you _have_ to," Peep tells him, "Or _I'll_ kill you and then you'll have _no_ chance of reuniting with a certain someone else's blushing bride!" "What am I even meant to fight it with?" Rena wonders, and Peep tells him to look down. Suddenly, he is holding a sword and shield in his hands, and she tells him he's all set. "Now what?" he asks. "Now you say hello." "What?" "Good luck," she wishes, before pushing him from the bridge, and Rena plummets towards the ground. Right before he's about to hit it, however, he pauses in the air – courtesy of Peep's magic – and hits th floor a few moments later, perfectly alright. He scrambles to his feet, grabbing the sword and shield, and DisneyMeerkats exits its shack in troll form. "What're you doing here?" it asks grumpily, and Rena says, "I'm here to slay you, vile creature!" Disney rolls her eyes, saying, " _Another_ one? This is starting to make me angry. And bad things happen when I get angry." Rena steadies his sword, but suddenly, the squat troll before him begins transforming. Everything about it grows and changes, and before long, a massive dragon stands before Rena; black scales, giant wings, horns and spikes. It breathes a jet of fire, which narrowly misses the blacksmith, and he cowers in fear of the monster.

In his apartment, Rena finishes packing and checks the time. He then lifts up his suitcase and carries it with him out the door, leaving a note, on top of which reads _DAD_ , in his wake. "Time to get everything I've ever wanted," he says before shutting the door behind himself.

Joe and Natalia are still panicking in the parking lot of the hospital. "This is just typical," Natalia is saying, " _Right_ as your parents were getting back together." "Yeah, Rena said they were meant to be running away tonight." "What?" Natalia asks. "He and Justine. They're planning to run away together. I tried talking him out of it but I don't think he listened." "Joe," Natalia reminds him, "I was _just_ with Justine, and all she mentioned was that she had feelings for Rena. She mentioned _nothing_ about running away with him…" "What are you saying?" Joe wonders, and Natalia suggests that someone else has arranged to meet with Rena having told him he'd be running away with his true love as pretence. "Who would do that?" Joe wonders, and Natalia suggests, "Maybe someone who's been adamant all along that the two of them _don't_ end up together…" "Josh!" Joe explains, "We have to save him! We have to save my father!" "Do you know where they're meant to be meeting?" Natalia asks, and Joe recalls the note he read earlier, saying that they're meeting at the town sign. "Well what are you waiting for? Let's _go_!" she exclaims, and the two of them run to Joe's white car.

Rena approaches the town exit where he waits for Justine, his suitcase sat beside him.  
Meanwhile, Joe and Natalia speed down the road in the former's car. In the passenger seat, Natalia uses her cell phone to call Liz.  
Rena continues to wait, but Josh emerges from the nearby bushes, a gun hidden behind his back.  
Liz rushes out of the Sheriff's Station and gets in her car. She begins driving away, flaring her siren.  
"Mayor King?" Rena utters, "What are you doing here?" "I'm sick and tired of you tainting my daughter," Josh replies, gun still hidden, "No more." "What are you talking about?" Rena asks, and suddenly, the Mayor points his gun right at the bartender, who raises his hands into the air. "You know… you really should've known that that note wasn't genuine… after all, Justine is hardly able to bring her car. Hers was destroyed, remember? Not that far from this very spot…" "What are you doing?" Rena asks, scared and backing away. "My magic may not be able to harm you but a bullet will," the Mayor states, but Rena suddenly turns his head to the headlights in the near distance. Josh turns his head also, keeping the revolver firmly aimed, and it's not long before Joe's car pulls up beside the scene. He gets out whereas Natalia remains in the passenger seat. "Josh," says Joe, "We've phoned the sheriff already. This is over… put the gun down." With his hands up, Joe steps slowly forward, parking himself in front of his father. "I am _sick_ of you ruining my plans!" Josh exclaims, "Everything was perfect before you arrived! You have destroyed _everything_ that I have worked so hard to build!" Tears well up in his eyes. "Give me the gun, Josh," Joe requests. "Step aside," Josh requests in turn. "Give me the gun, Reginafan," Joe tries, but Josh angrily exclaims, "That's not my name anymore!" "What's going on?" Rena asks from behind Joe, his hands still in the air. "You don't want to hurt anyone…" Joe tries convincing the Mayor. "Oh, but I do," he says, "You shouldn't have come tonight, Joe… all it means is that I'll be burying two bodies in the woods." "Give me the gun, J—" Joe tries one more time, but a shaking Josh pulls the trigger, and Joe falls to the ground, a red hole in his chest; blood begins welling up beneath his shirt. "And now for you…" Josh states, pointing the gun at the now-exposed Renato. "NO!" Natalia screams, tackling Josh out of the blue, having exited the car without anyone realizing. The gun falls from the Mayor's hands and Rena quickly picks it up. Josh uses his magic to repel Natalia, causing her to fly back a few feet, and he tries getting to his feet. "On your knees!" Rena order, pointing the gun right at Josh's head; the Mayor remains kneeling, _his_ hands now raised. The siren of Liz's car can be heard faintly in the distance now. "Joe!" Natalia exclaims, crawling towards his body. She puts a hand in his blood and begins crying. "No… no, you can't…" Suddenly, smoke begins to seep from the surrounding woods, and everyone in the scene is about to be devoured by the Virus' deadly expiration. "You can't die, please!" she yells, "You have to… you have to deactivate…" She can barely talk for tears, and Rena is crying too, but doesn't move from aiming his gun at Josh. "What's happening?" he asks, seeing the smoke close in, and Natalia replies, "The inevitable."

Suddenly, Joe's eyes spring open, glowing a fierce shade of purple. A burst of magic extends from his mind, washing over Natalia, Josh and Rena; the latter of the three drops the gun and rubs his head, his mind suddenly full of memories. The smoke dissipates as the magic hits it, and soon enough, there is none left.  
The burst extends all over town. Down the street, Liz is hit by it and suddenly brakes her car, remembering who she is.  
In the hospital, clutching the ring, Ben is suddenly hit by it also, remembering who he is. Meanwhile, Joanna watches as the wave washes over her colleagues, and she smiles with glee.  
At Josh's office, Valentina is hit by it, remembering who she is.  
In the streets, Justine is hit by the burst of magic. "My baby," is the first thing Lady Junky utters in over 21 years.  
"Joe…" Natalia utters, and the wound in Joe's chest closes up, with all the blood disappearing; his shirt even repairs itself. "What's happening?" Josh asks, back on his feet. "The Virus has been deactivated!" Rena Charming happily realizes. "No… NO!" Josh exclaims. "Yes!" Natalia exclaims in turn, "You did it, Joe!" "Son…" Rena utters, looking towards the revived savior, "You're okay!" he dashes towards him, but suddenly, Joe uses his newfound magic to push away Natalia, and his father. They and Josh both fall to the ground, and Joe's eyes glow a brighter purple as he raises himself into the air. He hovers there for a moment. The three people around him find their way back to their feet, and Natalia utters, "Joe…?" "My name's not Joe," he tells her, his voice much more cold and merciless than usual, "I am Jdg98…" With that, he lifts his hands into the air and two powerful bolts of lightning extend from them in continuous streams, disappearing into the clouds.  
ImmaGleek sees them from within her car.  
Villain fan looks at them through the window at the hospital.  
DeviousPeep watches them through a separate window, and appears curious.  
DisneyMeerkats watches confused from Josh's office, and returns back to its troll form.  
Lady Junky sees them from across town, and screams at the sheer ferocity of them.  
Jdg98 continues to hover, power brimming through him, and ceases the lightning bolts. He then completes his sentence by saying, "And the Virus was nothing compared to me."


	12. Ultimate Power

**Ultimate Power**

Rena Charming cowers in fear of DisneyMeerkats, whose anger has allowed it to take the form of a giant, black dragon; almost as tall as the bridge it stands before. Rena simply stands there, his hands tightly gripping the sword and shield given to him by DeviousPeep, and he suddenly finds his courage. He runs at the beast, shield in front, and swings his sword at its giant foot; however, the scaly armor that lines the creature's skin appears to be impenetrable. He tries hacking at it a few times, but nothing happens, and soon, the irritated dragon uses its large black hand to scoop the little blacksmith into its palm. His sword drops to the floor as the dragon lifts him to its mouth and chucks him in, but Rena manages to one-handed grab the creature's biggest tooth in order to stay where he is; digging his fingers in between the tooth and the gum for stability. The monster's mouth remains open as it screeches with pain, and in a quick movement, Rena lets go as he lifts his shield and manages to use its sharp edge to sever the tooth entirely. He and the tooth fall from the dragon's mouth and roll down its front, down its leg, and off its foot, followed by a fair amount of black blood. The dragon continues screaming, covering its mouth, and with a great amount of strength, Rena lifts the tooth into the air and launches it at DisneyMeerkats' scaled chest. He then finds his sword and picks it up, and watches as the beast stares, irritated, and the toot which is now stick in its scales like a dart in a board; however, it seems quite unharmed. It rakes across its own chest with its fearsome claws and the tooth unclogs, but a fair amount of scales drop to the floor with it, exposing a weak spot in the dragon's chest. Rena stares at this, getting an idea and drops his shield, maintaining only the sword. He begins waving his arms around, calling out for the dragon and taunting it, and it goes to pick him up again. It moves him towards its mouth with more caution this time, however, when he passes the chest, Rena leaps from the dragon's palm and jams the sword into the scale-less spot. It sticks there, and the blacksmith remains dangling from the hilt, being lowered to the ground as the dragon – which is shrieking in unbelievable pain, shrinks back down to its regular form. Soon enough, Rena Charming is standing over DisneyMeerkats the troll with his sword sticking in its chest; he pulls it out, and thick, black blood covers the blade. Peep appears beside him, forming from a trail of blood, and tells her champion, "Perfect." She takes the sword from his hand and transforms it into a small jar containing the gooey, sludgy blood. "Now," she says, "I believe you have a wedding to get to?" Suddenly, DisneyMeerkats stands up, revealing itself to not be all that hurt, and gets ready to run at Peep and Rena, beginning to transform into something else. However, Peep takes a small flask of green dust from her belt and tells Rena she's been saving it for just such an occasion; she grabs onto the blacksmith and throws it on the ground, where it smashes and consumes the two of them with green smoke. When the smoke clears, they are standing within Peep's magical laboratory. She takes the jar of blood and places it amongst what looks like vast chemistry sets, whilst Rena looks around curiously, coming across a glass case filled with memory sticks. He asks what they are, and Peep explains to him that they're Viruses; none of which are the one she wants, though. "What do they do?" Rena wonders. "All kinds of things, but nothing I'd care to divulge into. Just know that each one is rather disastrous, in some way or another. Now, do you want to get your Administrator or not?" Rena nods, saying, "More than anything," and Peep tells him to head upstairs and outside, where transport will await him. He ascends the steps of the basement laboratory and soon finds himself exiting the church door, outside of which, Peep is already standing, next to a white horse. "This is Rockaboss," Peep introduces, "You'll be needing him if you're to reach Lady Junky in time." "Thank you!" Rena exclaims, going to mount the creature, but Peep stops him, saying he can't go dressed in the tatters he's wearing. He looks down, and in an instant, he's wearing clothes fit for a handsome prince, complete with a new sword. He smiles and gets himself on Rockaboss' back, riding fast through the Once Upon a Time Wiki. It's not long before he reaches the palace, and he rides through the chapel doors and yells, "I object!" Villain fan, Reginafan2626 and, most importantly, Lady Junky, look at him with shock.

Rena, Josh and Natalia stand shocked at the sight of Jdg98, his eyes glowing purple, as he continues to hover above them. "What are you?" Natalia asks, frightened. "I am power," Jdg says, an eerie smile on his face. "Son…" Rena tries, "Please…" "I care not for relations," Jdg tells him, and as he does so, Josh silently begins reaching for the revolver on the floor. "What do you want?" Rena tries asking, and Jdg smiles again, replying with, "Destruction." Suddenly, Jdg is shot at from behind by Josh, but the bullets simply bounce off of him and he laughs, turning to the Mayor. He makes a fist, and suddenly, the gun becomes a mangled mesh of metal; completely useless, and flies from Josh's grip. Jdg then floats towards the Mayor, knocking him to the ground, when the sirens of Liz's car begin blaring. She approaches the scene with speed, and Jdg contemplates the situation. "I think that's my queue to leave… catch you later," he says, flying off into the woods. Liz pulls up and exits her car, asking, "What the hell just happened?!" "We were just thinking the same thing," Natalia tells her. Josh then says, "I think I know who might be able to explain it…"

Joanna Seer, in her Storywik apartment, is seen removing the jar of DisneyMeerkats' blood from her safe. She smiles down at it and says, "It's time." However, there is suddenly a knock at the door, and before the nurse has time to pocket the little jar and close the door to her safe, Josh, Rena, Natalia and Liz have already barged in. "Do come in…" Joanna sneers, disliking their rudeness, but Josh tells her that the time for niceties is over; "You've got some explaining to do…"  
Later, Joanna is sitting down, having been explained to the events of the town exit. "Alright," says Rena, "Now you know everything… so tell us, you did something to my son when you snatched him away at birth, what was it?" Joanna sighs and explains, "When I had baby Jdg98 in my possession, I installed a psychic block in his mind so that his power would be inaccessible to him." "Why?" Natalia asks, and she says she's going to level with them; "The reason I orchestrated my access to this world was so that I could rule over the mortals, as is my birth right. Jdg98 would've been the most powerful being in history, as well as the product of two such benevolent people. The last thing I needed in my way was someone with the power and the motive to stop me. Now, it seems, all he has is the power." "Why is that?" Liz wonders, "What happened to… Joe?" "It appears that the magic I cut off from him, existing in the very back of his mind, formed into a personality of its own," Joanna explains. "So he's… bipolar?" Liz figures, and Joanna says, "If you like." "So why has this separate personality come to the surface now?" Josh wonders. "Isn't it obvious?" Joanna asks him, "It's because of _you_. When you shot him, his survival instinct must've gone into overdrive; enough to break down the psychic block and allow Jdg98 – as he likes to call himself – to take over." "But if you wanted, um, global domination or whatever," says Rena, "You must've needed the Virus to be deactivated first so that you could leave town… how did you expect that to happen with Joe's magic prohibited?" "I thought he'd perform true love's kiss or one of those other annoying, gooey cures; I didn't know that his sheer magic ability was enough." "Why is he so… evil? He said he wanted destruction," Natalia reminds them. "He's pure magic; he hasn't exactly formed a conscience. I presume he's just… curious. He wants to see what he's able to do with his powers." "So, to sum up," says Josh, "Someone with ultimate power and seemingly no conscience, hell-bent on destruction, is loose in Storywik… and we have absolutely no way of stopping him." "Actually," Joanna says with a smile, "That's not entirely true."

Justine is seen wandering the streets alone, looking confused, when someone calls out, "Lady Junky!" She turns and sees Ben running towards her, rolling her eyes. "I'm looking for my husband and son," she tells him as he approaches, "The last person I want to see is you." "No, you don't understand," he says, "I need to explain something to you." "What is it?" she asks, mildly curious. "I believe… that I was under the effects of a love potion. But whatever it was that deactivated the Virus… it's undone those effects. And I am _so_ sorry, Lady… Justine… whatever I'm supposed to call you… for everything. Please, tell me, what can I do to make it up to you?" She considers him for a moment, and says, "Well, for starters, you can help me find my family… and we'll take it from there." He smiles, as does she.

DisneyMeerkats, in its troll form, is seen exiting Josh's office, desperate to find its master. It clicks its fingers repeatedly; going through many different forms, until it finally manages to settle back on Valentina Cunning. "Reginafan?!" she calls out, "Reginafan2626?!" Suddenly, Jdg98 descends from the sky and lands delicately in front of the disguised troll. "Perfect…" he utters. "I see you've discovered your magic," Valentina comments, but Jdg assures her, "I've done a lot more than that, dear." "Joe…?" she says, confused, but he replies with, "Didn't you get the memo? Joe's gone. He's a quiet voice in the back of my head now, begging me to stop. But I won't. Because now it's Jdg98's time to shine… and I plan on putting on a show." She looks confused, and he continues, "But look who I'm talking to. Every moment you look the way you do now, you're putting on a show. How fitting that you're to be my first act… it's going to be fun eradicating the world of a filthy, pathetic, ugly little troll." "I don't care how much magic you have," Valentina says with rage, "It's not wise for _anyone_ to make me so angry." And suddenly, her features begin mutating drastically.

Ben and Justine are walking through Storywik when they're distracted by the screeching of a massive dragon across town; they can see it from where they are, and look horrified. "What the hell?!" Liz is heard exclaiming, and Ben and Justine turn to see her, Natalia, Joanna, Josh and Rena. Glee overwhelms Justine's face as she and her husband run towards one another, embracing tightly and kissing passionately. "My love…" she utters when they pull out of it, "We have to… we have to find our son." "I'm pretty sure _I've_ found him," Joanna comments, pointing to the balls of lightning being hurled up at the giant dragon. "Daddy," Justine says, turning to Josh, "Can you use your magic to transport us all there?" "I'm not sure I can carry so many people at once…" he tells her. "You can try!" she exclaims, and Josh nods, telling everyone to hold on. Those in proximity all link arms with one another, and after an enormous amount of focusing on the Mayor's part, they disappear in a large cloud of black smoke.

Across town, the seven of them reappear in a similar cloud and stand witness to the battle raging between DisneyMeerkats and Jdg98. Suddenly, a jet of fire shoots from the dragon's mouth and consumes Jdg, and Justine screams bloody murder. However, when the flames clear, Jdg isn't even singed, and he continues throwing attacks at the beast, enjoying its pain. "Right," says Rena, turning to his wife, "I have something I need to tell you…" As Lady is caught up on what's going on, Liz steps out from the small band and exclaims, "Hey! Jdg98!" Jdg turns to her, ignoring the dragon behind it, and she yells, "I know Joe is still in there… I just need to get him out." Amused, Jdg98 descends to the ground, having been hovering, and asks the sheriff how she plans on accomplishing such an impressive feat. She walks towards him, without fear, and says, "By reminding you of who you really are… and who you love." She grabs him and kisses him, deep and long, but when she pulls away, his eyes are still purple, and he uses his magic to trip her, laughing manically. Liz looks up at him from the ground and appears crushed, but she soon finds her strength and tells the maniacal wizard that it's hardly a fair fight; "You have magic and I have nothing… a man of true honor fights with swords." "It may have escaped your notice, dear… but I have no honor," he points out. Liz manages to get to her feet, but Jdg trips her again, finding it funny when the Chat Mod falls. "You're just scared to find out who'd win," Liz says, finding her footing yet again. Jdg tells her that her pathetic attempt at reverse psychology is useless; "But if that's the way you wish to die… who am I to deny you your final wish?" Suddenly, Jdg98 is holding a sword, and Liz looks down to discover that she's holding one identical to his. Suddenly, Jdg runs at her, swinging his sword, and steel clashes. The swords continue to hit one another and it appears to be an equal match of skill for a while; soon, however, Jdg begins hacking at Liz's blade, and when she blocks each one, he suddenly melts the metal with a blink of his eye. "Oops," he says sarcastically, proceeding to stab Liz in the gut and leave her for dead, throwing his sword to one side and turning back to the confused dragon behind him. "Now…" he says to DisneyMeerkats, "Where were we?" He begins throwing more attacks at the dragon, causing it more pain, whilst Rena and Lady run towards their former Chat Moderator, who's bleeding heavily from her abdomen. Rena removes his jacket and uses it as a bandage to put pressure on the wound. "Daddy!" Justine calls, crying, "Help!" Natalia, Ben and Joanna don't know where to look, but Josh's eyes remain fixed on the dragon which served him for so many years. It breathes heavy fire at its adversary, but Jdg98 begins emitting blasts of high-pressure water from his hands. This nullifies the dragon's breath and causes it to become completely drenched. When the water covers every inch of the monster, Jdg ceases the blasts, and he fires a powerful lightning bolt instead. The water causes the electricity to surge through the dragon's entire body, and its shriek of pain becomes so high-pitched that it cannot be heard. It falls to the ground, causing a small earthquake as it does so, and soon shrinks back to its troll form. Josh runs over to his beloved troll and Jdg laughs at it, looking between it and Liz and feeling nothing but joy. "I think my work is done here," he says to himself, flying away. Josh stares down at Disney who utters, "I've failed you, master…" Before it dies, it manages to snap its fingers and transform into the beautiful woman it's been living as for 21 years. Valentina Cunning manages one, final smile, happy to have been able to die beautiful. A tear falls from Josh's eye as he stares down at his dead assistant, and he kneels down to kiss her on the forehead. "Daddy!" Justine calls again, and Josh walks over to her, Rena and Liz, the latter of which is still alive, but dying, slowly. "She's bleeding so much, we have to get her somewhere safe!" Justine exclaims, crying, and Josh wipes his eyes, speaking sternly. "Everyone, to me!" he exclaims, and all those around him approach. Everyone links up again and they disappear in another cloud of black smoke.

Reappearing in the Sheriff's Station. Liz is carried off by Rena and Justine whilst Joanna rushes towards the nearest computer, saying it'll do perfectly and logging on. "Can you heal her?" Justine asks her father, regarding Liz, who's growing weaker as she continues to bleed out. "Not with my magic, no, but um… um…" he points at Natalia, " _You_ , do you still have my skeleton keys?" "In my purse in Joe's car…" Natalia replies, and suddenly, black smoke consumes her shoulder and her purse appears on it. "Enter my vault with the sheriff here and retrieve a collection of leaves in a glass flask – you'll know them when you see them; make ImmaGleek eat them… and she should be okay." "Can't you just transport the leaves here the way you did my purse?" Natalia wonders, but Josh says the precautions he has set up around his vault prevent him from doing so; "Now hurry." Rena and Justine back away from Liz as Natalia takes hold of her, keeping pressure on the wound with Rena's jacket, and the two of them are suddenly transported out of the room by Josh. Joanna takes the jar of Disney's blood from her pocket and places it on the table as she continues tapping away at the keyboard, having reached a page filled with binary code which she continues to fill in. "What're you doing?" Ben wonders, and Joanna reminds the others that she has a way of stopping Jdg98. "You mustn't kill him," Justine says, and Joanna rolls her eyes, saying she'll try her best. "What are you planning exactly?" Josh asks, and Joanna explains, "This is the blood of a troll, mixed with various substances which can be found _solely_ in Wikia; I have another set of the same mixture in my laboratory back home. I can use this computer, along with an incantation, to form a link between the two substances and open a portal back to my stores where I'll be able to fetch some useful items capable of bringing Jdg down." "Is that even possible?" Rena asks, confused. "Not before the Virus was deactivated. But now? I think I can manage." "How long will it take?" Josh wonders, to which Joanna replies, "It's _quite_ a wordy incantation." "Right," says the Mayor, "In the meantime we're going to need all the magical help we can get to hold off my grandson's destruction of this town." He turns to Ben, and tells him to gather all the fairies he can – including Dr. Sonya, who's in a holding cell across town – by telling them of the current situation. Ben nods, asking where he's to start, and Josh tells him to try Keegan and Rappy at the B &B, proceeding to transport Villain fan directly to them. "What are me and Rena to do?" Justine asks, and Josh tells her that her job is to stay here and stay safe; "And you," he looks at Rena, "Make sure that she does." Rena nods, but Justine insists that she should talk to her child, convinced that she'll be able to get him to stop. "I wouldn't be so sure," Josh tells her, "You saw what happened to Sheriff Knight…"

A dying Liz is carried down the stairs to Josh's vault by Natalia, who rests her on the ground, telling her to keep pressure on her own wound. Liz nods weakly, only just managing to do so, whilst Natalia scours the shelves. It's not long before she discovers the glass flask of distinctive leaves given to The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors by Trellar all those years ago, and she smiles. However, when she takes the flask out, a second scorpion crawls from the shelf and falls to the floor. It grows about one inch before Natalia yells, "Not this time, ya' little bitch!" and squishes it dead with her foot. She then removes the leaves from the flask and kneels down beside Liz. She begins stuffing the leaves into the Chat Mod's mouth and helps the weak woman as she struggles to chew. However, each leaf is soon swallowed, and Natalia removes Rena's coat. All blood which stained Liz's clothes is suddenly sucked back into the wound, which slowly closes up, and the only reminder Liz has of this entire predicament is a substantial rip in her now-clean shirt. Regaining her strength, the sheriff asks, "Did I win?" and Natalia laughs, hugging her.

Ben stands with Rappy and Sannse as they unlock the holding cell of Dr. Sonya. "At last!" he exclaims, but when he sees the two people in front of him, he recoils with hatred. "Not _you_!" he exclaims, and the two fairies try to apologize to him for firing him from the Staff roster… but now they need his help, for he was one of the most skilled fairies of all. "No!" Sonya yells, "I refuse to help either of you!" "Dr. Sonya!" Ben shouts, "Like it or not, this town is in danger." "Good, I hope every former Staff member dies because of it." "But if you don't help," Ben points out, "How will you regain your wings?" Dr. Sonya looks suddenly interested.

Natalia and Liz are seen re-entering the Sheriff's Station, the latter back in fighting form, and Justine approaches the two of them, hugging each in turn. Liz then reveals she's carrying a sword – the same one Joe used to slay a giant arachnid – and tells Josh, "I took this from your vault. Hope you don't mind; thought it could come in handy." She places it on a nearby desk, and lots of noise is suddenly heard from outside; like mass buzzing. "What on Wikia is going on out there?" Rena asks, and everyone turns to him. "Sorry," he says, "Old habits. I mean, let's go check it out." Joanna continues tapping away at the computer, spouting out complex coding, as the other five head outside. They witness about twenty fairies, all in casual clothing but with their wings out and wide, flying down the street, at the end of which is Jdg98. Ben emerges from the crowd of former Staff members, led by Rappy, Sannse and Dr. Sonya, and regroups with the others as the fairies begin pelting Jdg with their brightly-colored attacks. "Are they hurting him?" Justine asks, worried. "No, I'm perfectly fine," Jdg98 says, having appeared out of thin air. The six of them are startled, but Justine steps out to face her son. "Lady, no!" Rena tries. "Get back here!" Josh yells louder. "I told you over 21 years ago that you were done controlling me," Justine reminds her father, turning her attention back to her curious son, who remains hovering in mid-air. "Is something wrong, mommy?" Jdg asks, "Have I been a naughty boy?" "Jdg98…" she utters, tears forming in her eyes, "My child…" His purple eyes stare her up and down. "Spare me the emotion," he says, "I'd prefer to get straight to the carnage." "I know you don't want to hurt anyone…" Justine utters. "Funny," says Jdg, "That was what I said to your father – or, my grandfather, I suppose – right before he shot me in the chest. Now, I've only been around for a couple of hours, and I'm an impressionable young lad, so… when someone says 'I know you don't want to hurt anyone', I can only presume that what they really mean is 'shoot me'. And so, your wish is my command." He charges up an energy ball in his hand and prepares to throw it at his mother, however, before it's able to hit her, Ben jumps in the way of it, receiving a full blast of the deadly magic. This little twist of fate makes Jdg98 giggle, but he soon notices the swarm of fairies approaching him from the other end of the street. He sighs. "Again, that's my queue to leave," he says, and he flies high into the sky, as do the fairies, where a battle proceeds to rage. Meanwhile, Ben is dying in Justine's arms. "Do you have any more of those leaves?" she asks Natalia, but she shakes her head, saying that it took every last one of them to save Liz. Ben looks up at Justine, and she asks him, with more tears in her eyes, why he just did what he did. "I may not truly love you," Ben utters, "But that doesn't mean I don't still care about you…" "No," Justine states defiantly, "You are _not_ dying. We're gonna find a way to fix you…" "His magic is too strong to be overwritten," Ben assures her in a croaky voice, "That's what the fairies kept saying… besides, now I can't get in the way of you being with your true love… and I can be with mine." Justine has no idea what he's talking about, but Ben looks beyond her at the vision of InspiredAndNatural – dressed all in white – who stands a few feet away. She smiles at Villain fan, and he smiles at her in turn, feeling greeted towards death. The surrounding people see nothing, and Justine keeps looking to where Inspired should be, utterly confused. "It's okay," Ben continues, "This is my happy ending…" Inspired and Villain exchange one last loving smile, but the vision of the former disappears as the life leaves the eyes of the latter.

Up in the sky, Jdg98 continues battling the fairies. They are pelting him with their attacks, but he has one hand raised and makes them all dissipate into thin air, yawning. It's not long before the fairies start giving up, and their attacks lessen and lessen. Jdg stands still, and Dr. Sonya asks Rappy what he's doing. "He's…" Rappy stares intensely at the floating madman before him, "Charging!" he soon realizes, "GET DOWN!" He pushes Dr. Sonya out of the way, knocking him into Sannse, and the two of them find themselves falling from the sky. As they plummet towards the earth below and stabilize themselves with their wings, they watch as all their fellow fairies – including Rappy – are burnt to sinters in mere seconds. Sannse screams, now standing on the ground with Sonya, and Jdg smiles with delight.

Back inside the Sheriff's Station, everyone still alive is left devastated, except Joanna, who continues muttering a magical language to the computer as she types; the jar of black liquid is bubbling wildly, but no one takes any notice of it until the Blood Wiccan yells, "I've done it!" With one tap of the _Enter_ key, blue light begins emanating from the computer screen. The blue light swirls and begins forming a doorway between worlds, through which DeviousPeep's laboratory is actually visible. Everyone watches in awe, but the incantation continues to flow from Joanna's red lips, and the magic words warp the blue light into something more than a portal; the gateway closes and simply the energy remains. "She's double-crossed us!" Josh exclaims, "She's going to absorb it!" "The hell she is," Natalia says, grabbing the sword Liz took off of the desk and running at Joanna, whacking her over the head with a hilt and causing her to drop to the floor, unconscious. However, the blue energy source which remains floating in the air latches onto MaryPierceLopez, and she finds herself absorbing it all. Everyone watches with shock and intrigue, and when Natalia's eyes open, they are glowing blue. She begins hovering ever-so-slightly above the ground with a kind of eerie grace. "What's happened to her?" Rena asks, and Natalia's voice comes out with an odd echo: "Isn't it obvious?" she asks, "DeviousPeep was planning to achieve ultimate power herself by channeling the portal's energy into magic she'd be able to use to escape this town and dominate the world as she's always wanted, leaving you all occupied with Jdg98… but I instead absorbed the power." "What exactly is the power?" Liz asks, confused. "The internet…" Josh whispers, "She's absorbed the damn internet!" "I do believe so," Natalia says, her voice still echoing, "It's amazing how much I've suddenly become aware of now that my IQ has been boosted to an uncountable amount. I think I need some fresh air." She lifts a hand, and suddenly, an entire wall of the Sheriff's Station vanishes completely. Natalia continues to hover slightly and makes her way outside, where she lands. She takes a few steps amongst the streets of Storywik, and in a bright, blue flash… she vanishes. Josh, Rena, Justine and Liz stare on in shock. Joanna remains unconscious on the floor.

Jdg98 has landed in a clearing in the forest surrounding the town in order to recuperate. Behind him, there is a bright, blue flash and Natalia appears; his purple eyes meet her blue ones. "How did you know I'd be here?" he asks her, to which she replies in her eerie, echo-y, "I've become aware of a great many things… I believe I am the wisest person in human history." "Is that so?" Jdg asks her, "Because I've been inside your head, remember? That was me, bleeding through. Of course, I was suppressed almost immediately… but still, I saw it, and _he_ saw it, and, all in all, it wasn't that remarkable." "I have changed," she says. Jdg nods, "So it would seem… what _have_ you done to yourself?" "I've taken in a great deal of power… enough to equal you, I'm sure." "We'll see about that," says Jdg, an evil smile on his face, and he fires two powerful bolts of lightning at the girl from either side. Natalia simply raises a hand, and the lightning bolts are pushed back into Jdg's hands, where they dissipate. He looks enraged, and fires a number of energy blasts at her, but without so much as blinking, she deflects them all into the sky where they explode like fireworks. "I see I'm not the only one who likes to put on a show…" Jdg comments, and he creates a massive sword out of thin air which begins flying towards Natalia. She catches it in her hand by the blade, but it doesn't cut her, and within her grip, it quickly turns to dust. Jdg is intrigued, and Natalia asks if it's now her turn to attack, and she takes a step forward. Jdg98 looks genuinely scared for the first time since he came into being, and he hovers above the ground and begins flying away through the trees. Natalia stays where she is and raises both hands, turning all the surrounding trees to dust and making the clearing gigantic. She sees Jdg and makes a motion with her hand as though she's pulling something towards herself, and he is suddenly yanked towards her with a great deal of force. He lands at her feet and tries to tackle her to the ground, however, she hits him with a blast of blue light, and he remains on his knees, unable to move. "So," he asks, "Are you going to kill me?" "Negative," she replies, "I am merely going to reconstruct the psychic block in your mind – stronger than before. But even I am not powerful enough to completely eradicate you of the power." "Well," he says, "Goodbye, world… it's been fun destroying you while it's lasted. I hope to see you again soon." Natalia then places her hand on his head, and within the mind of Joseph Kahn/Jd98, a mental wall is built. Suddenly, his eyes stop glowing purple, and Joe falls to the floor, breathing heavily. "Natalia?" he utters, looking up at her glowing blue eyes and feeling frightened; he gets to his feet. "What've you done…?" he utters, looking at her, "What the hell have you gone and done?!" "I looked into the heart of all knowledge… and it stared back at me. I made myself powerful enough to suppress Jdg98." "Well, he's gone now. Well done. Now stop." "I can't stop," she says. "Sure you can… just let go…" "How can I let go of this?" she wonders; tears are pouring from her eyes, but she doesn't look sad. Suddenly, she screams, clutching her head, and Joe looks insanely worried for her.  
Josh, Rena, Justine and Liz are running through the woods, searching for Joe and Natalia, having followed their little light show. They then hear the scream, and Josh yells, "This way!" directing the little team.  
"I see all," Natalia states, the pain having ceased but the tears continuing to pour, "The Sun and the Moon. The Earth and the stars and all the lands beyond. Every atom in existence. I see all that ever was, and is, and could be… but why does it hurt?" "Natalia…" Joe begs, "Let go…" "My head…" Natalia moans, "I think… I think there's too much power in it. Well, I _know_ there is. In fact, I'm quite certain it's killing me." "Please…" Joe utters, tears streaming from his eyes as well, "Please don't die…" "But I _am_ dying, and I've already accepted it," she states, "One would be amazed how fast you can come to terms with something when you're too clever to know fear." "I don't want you to go…" Joe roars, unable to control himself. "I'm afraid it's inevitable now. My death cannot be prevented. So, I suppose all that there's left to say is… goodbye, Joseph Kahn." In a shock, the blue light suddenly leaves her body and floats away.  
It dashes all the way across town and is absorbed back into the computer of the Sheriff's Station, which promptly explodes, destroying the jar of black liquid. Joanna is nowhere to be seen.  
Natalia falls to the ground, herself again, and Joe manages to catch her, holding her in his arms. "All… that time… I spent… trying to save everyone… was it worth it?" she asks, barely able to see past her tears. "Yes," he assures her, "Every moment." "And… and… did I save you?" she asks. He nods as he cries, telling her, "Yes… yes, you saved me." "Then… can I just tell you… it was my honor." Her face goes still as death finally finds her, and Joe uses his fingers to close her eyes before hugging the body tight to himself and crying loudly. Josh, Rena, Justine and Liz soon come running from the trees and stand around the two of them, each one looking shocked and devastated. Joe barely notices they're there, and simply continues weeping into the night.

The next morning, Joe is dressed in a black suit as rain pours from the sky; he is standing in front of three gravestones. MaryPierceLopez's is in the center, with DisneyMeerkats' and Villain fan's on either side. "I'm sorry…" Joe utters, the weight of what he did dawning on him, and he can't stop himself from crying. Liz, who's also dressed in black, places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault…" she tries, but Joe doesn't reply; he simply places his hand atop hers, showing that he appreciates the support. Josh, Rena and Justine are further back, also paying their respects, and when Liz walks away from Joe, his parents approach him. They engage in a group hug, and Joe utters, "Mom… Dad…" "Son…" Rena utters, and Joe cries into their shoulders. Justine runs her hand through his hair and shushes him, assuring him that it's all over now, and that they're together, as a family. "That's right," Rena adds, "We're all still here." "Not everyone," Josh points out, and those in attendance all turn to the Evil Bureaucrat as he asks, "Has anyone seen Joanna?"

Joanna Seer, dressed in the same skimpy, red clothes which are normally seen adorning DeviousPeep in the Wikia World that was, makes her way through the streets of Storywik, Maine. Various blasts of light flow from her hands, and she leaves a trail of destruction in her wake, utterly frustrated that her plan failed the way it did. She comes across the Sheriff's Station, which is still missing a wall, but still fires a blast at it when she sees the busted computer and becomes reminded of her failure. She breathes heavily as the dust settles, however, she soon spots something amidst the debris; something shiny and metal. Curious, Joanna walks casually through the wreckage and begins digging through the bricks with her bare hands. She pulls out… a memory stick, from her magical laboratory, which fell through to Our World during the brief period that the portal was open. She grips it tightly in her hand. "This town's about to experience a whole new kind of Virus," she says to herself, proceeding to smile wider than we've ever seen before.


End file.
